Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the common narrative in literary history that the inner lives of characters became a central preoccupation of literary modernism. We operationalise this notion via a proxy, tracing the use of verbs relating to inner life across 10 language corpora from the ELTeC collection, which comprises novels from the period between 1840–1920. We expected to find an increase in the use of inner-life verbs corresponding to the traditional periodisation of modernism in each of the languages. However, different experiments conducted with the data do not confirm this hypothesis. We therefore look at the results in a number of more granular ways, but we cannot identify any common trends even when we split the verbs into individual categories, or take canonicity or gender into account. We discuss the obtained results in detail, proposing potential reasons for them and including potential avenues of further research as well as lessons learned.
This paper explores the widely held belief that the inner lives of characters became a major focus of literary modernism. To investigate this assumption, the authors analyze the use of verbs related to inner thoughts and emotions across 10 language corpora from the ELTeC collection. These corpora consist of novels written between 1840 and 1920. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, the experiments conducted do not support the idea that there was an increase in such verbs during the analysed time period. To gain further insights, the researchers examine the results in more detail by splitting the verbs into different categories and considering factors like canonicity and gender. However, even after these additional analyses, no consistent patterns or trends emerge. The paper thoroughly discusses the findings, offering possible explanations for the results and suggesting avenues for future research. It also highlights the lessons learned from this investigation.