Fictional and Real Speech in Jane Austen and the 19th Century: A CLiC Study
Fictional and Real Speech in Jane Austen and the 19th Century: A CLiC Study
As part of our Digital Humanities laboratory experience, we have undertaken a series of engaging activities designed for exploration and reflection. This blog post documents my response to these exercises, which were thoughtfully curated by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir to enhance our academic understanding and provide hands-on experience in this emerging field.
For those interested in delving deeper into this subject matter, I've included a valuable resource that offers additional context and insights. You can access it through this link: Click Here.
Understand how once we used to debate on if machines can write poems.
We began by examining an intriguing question that has long fascinated scholars: Can machines compose poetry? During this exercise, we were presented with a poem and challenged to determine whether it originated from human creativity or artificial intelligence. This activity prompted us to deeply consider the nature of creativity, linguistic expression, and the boundaries between human and machine-generated art. While it was remarkable to observe how sophisticated algorithms could simulate human creative processes, the exercise ultimately revealed that authentic emotional resonance and subtle artistic nuances remain distinctly human characteristics.
Exploring 19th-Century Fictional Speech: Insights from Jane Austen and the 19C Corpus
Under Dr. Dilip Barad's guidance in our Digital Humanities laboratory, I utilized the CLiC tool to analyze patterns of fictional dialogue in 19th-century literature, with particular emphasis on Jane Austen's works. My investigation focused on examining how character conversations reflect various aspects of social interaction, including politeness conventions, expressions of curiosity, social negotiations, and ironic discourse. I compared these patterns with broader trends found in the 19C corpus. Through a systematic series of exercises (17.1-17.5), I examined recurring speech patterns, their functional roles, and their distribution across both dialogue and narrative sections. This analytical approach revealed how Austen and her contemporary authors crafted fictional conversations to both reflect and comment on real-world social interactions.
Using the CLiC web app alongside the British National Corpus (BNC), I explored how fictional speech overlaps with or diverges from authentic spoken language. This exercise was both technical and interpretative moving between concordance lines and literary meaning.
Exploring 19th-Century Fictional Speech: Insights from Jane Austen and the 19C Corpus
The analysis of fictional dialogue in 19th-century literature reveals compelling insights into historical social norms, politeness conventions, and narrative techniques. Through my work with the CLiC tool, I conducted an in-depth examination of speech patterns in 19th-century novels, comparing general corpus findings with Jane Austen's distinctive style, and investigating the interplay between character dialogue and narrative voice. Activities 17.1 through 17.5 enabled me to identify significant patterns in word choice, repetitive elements, and stylistic features that shape fictional discourse, leading to a richer understanding of how dialogue functions as a mirror of social dynamics and literary craftsmanship.
Activity 17.1: Speech in the 19th-Century Reference Corpus (19C).
In this investigation, I examined the 15 most prevalent speech patterns found within the 19C corpus, encompassing 29 nineteenth-century novels. The primary objective was to decode the conventions governing fictional dialogue, particularly how characters expressed emotional states, dealt with social power dynamics, and maintained proper etiquette. The study uncovered consistent patterns that illuminated the period's social and literary conventions.
Categories and Key Clusters:
Expressing Curiosity or Inquiry
Clusters: I should like to know, what do you think of, what is to be done, what am I to do
Function: Questioning / Seeking Advice / Curiosity
Context: Employed when characters require information, direction, or counsel, often indicating uncertainty or inquisitiveness.
Expressing Desire, Intention, or Request
Clusters: I should like to see, I want to speak to, I should like to have, I have a right to
Function: Polite Requests / Expression of Desire / Asserting Rights
Context: Conveys wishes or intentions; moderated commands demonstrate period etiquette.
Time and Measurement References
Cluster: a quarter of an hour
Function: Timekeeping / Narrative Structuring
Context: Provides temporal precision in story events or daily routines.
Refusing or Denying
Cluster: I am not going to
Function: Refusal / Assertion of Will
Context: Demonstrates resistance or resolve, indicating personal autonomy.
Speculative or Evaluative Statements
Clusters: it seems to me that, as well as I do
Function: Opinion / Speculation / Comparison
Context: Communicates judgments or comparisons; demonstrates polite hedging.
Apology and Politeness Markers
Cluster: I am sorry to say
Function: Apology / Politeness Strategy
Context: Prefaces negative information or critique diplomatically.
Reassurance and Encouragement
Cluster: I am sure you will
Function: Encouragement / Persuasion
Context: Employed in supportive, convincing, or uplifting conversations.
Takeaway: Nineteenth-century fictional dialogue exhibited structured patterns while maintaining social sophistication, embodying courtesy, negotiation, personal agency, and temporal organization.
Activity 17.2: Comparing "It seems to me that" Then and Now
This analysis contrasted the phrase "it seems to me that" between 19C novels and contemporary spoken English in the British National Corpus (BNC). The study revealed how opinion markers maintain similar functions across eras while evolving in form and style.
.png)
.png)
Observations:
Similarities:
Both contexts employ hedging strategies to present viewpoints with careful consideration.
Functions as a diplomatic tool to soften statements and maintain social harmony.
Emphasizes personal perspective rather than presenting absolute claims.
Differences:
19th-century literary usage: characterized by elaborate, well-structured, and refined sentence constructions.
Contemporary BNC speech patterns: incorporates natural speech elements like hesitations, redundancies, and speech breaks.
Purpose variations: novelists employ it for character development; modern speakers use it to gain processing time or minimize conflict.
Takeaway: While the fundamental role of opinion hedging persists, the execution evolves from refined literary expression to more casual, natural conversation patterns.
Activity 17.3: Speech in Jane Austen's Novels
Through analysis of predominant speech patterns in Austen's character dialogues compared to the broader 19th-century corpus, I identified both shared conventions and unique stylistic elements that define her work.
.png)
.png)
Key Insights:
Common Elements:
Shared clusters such as I do not know what and I am sure you will appear consistently.
Unique Characteristics:
19C corpus: emphasizes functional clusters for requests, opinions, and temporal references.
Austen: focuses on clusters that highlight social dynamics, courtesy, hedging, and subtle irony.
Usage Patterns:
19C novels: broader application across daily scenarios, supporting plot development and moral themes.
Austen: sophisticated social commentary emphasizing interpersonal dynamics and conversational nuance.
Conclusion: While Austen incorporates period conventions, she elevates dialogue through refined hedging and polite discourse strategies.
Activity 17.4: The Speech of Austen's Characters
This investigation explored how specific linguistic clusters function uniquely in Austen's character dialogue versus the general 19C corpus.
Observations:
General corpus uses I do not know what to express genuine uncertainty or rhetorical effect.
Austen employs it for nuanced social interaction, irony, or witty observation.
Example: "I do not know what your opinion may be, Mrs. Weston" (Emma).
Austen's functions: courtesy, ironic commentary, social maneuvering.
Distinction: Austen transforms common clusters into sophisticated social tools, contrasting with broader usage patterns.
Activity 17.5: Speech of Austen Characters vs. Austen's Narrator
Analysis of character dialogue versus narrative voice revealed Austen's distinct approach to voice differentiation.
Observations:
Character speech: immediate, conversational, featuring clusters like what do you think of; emphasizes dialogue, gossip, persuasion.
Narration: structured, explanatory, syntactically complex; employs clusters for narrative organization rather than conversation simulation.
Interpretation: Austen masterfully crafts dialogue that balances authentic conversational elements with refined literary expression, creating a clear distinction between the spoken exchanges of characters and the narrative voice.
Experience of Using CLiC and Learning Outcomes
Engaging with CLiC proved to be an illuminating experience. The platform enabled comprehensive exploration of speech patterns, frequency distributions, and contextual usage across various corpora, offering both quantitative metrics and qualitative insights into fictional dialogue construction. By examining clusters within character quotations and narrative sections, I gained deeper appreciation for how authors, particularly Austen, skillfully modulate language to create distinct voices.
Learning Outcomes:
Acquired hands-on experience in applying corpus linguistics to literary analysis
Developed understanding of social-historical contexts shaping 19th-century speech patterns
Recognized the artistic refinement process that transforms natural speech into literary dialogue
Enhanced comprehension of linguistic patterns' role in conveying politeness, character agency, hedging strategies, and ironic undertones
Identified evolutionary changes in English speech representation from Victorian literature to modern usage
Overall Takeaway: These analytical exercises highlighted the intricate relationship between form and function in literary dialogue while demonstrating how corpus tools can systematically reveal linguistic patterns for research purposes.
Concluding Reflection
The exploration of 19th-century fictional dialogue through CLiC has provided valuable insights into the complexities of literary speech representation. This investigation revealed how novelists carefully construct language to reflect societal norms, politeness conventions, and interpersonal relationships, with even common phrases carrying layered meanings based on context. Jane Austen's dialogue particularly exemplifies masterful balance between ironic wit, social negotiation, and emotional expression, demonstrating fiction's capacity to shape speech for simultaneous character development and social commentary. This corpus-based methodology enhanced understanding of form-function relationships in literary language while showcasing how digital analytical tools can uncover patterns that traditional close reading might miss. The experience ultimately reinforced the value of integrating computational approaches with literary analysis for deeper, evidence-based understanding of historical and stylistic language dimensions.
Voyant Activity: Jude the Obscure
Methodology
I utilized Voyant Tools to analyze Thomas Hardy's complete text of Jude the Obscure, generating diverse visualizations including word cloud, frequency list, trends graph, and sophisticated tools like StreamGraph, TermsBerry, Mandala, Knotes, DreamScape, and Cirrus. These analytical features provided comprehensive insights into word patterns, thematic elements, and contextual relationships throughout the novel. Through examination of these visual representations, I traced significant motifs, character emphasis, and Hardy's distinctive literary techniques, developing enhanced understanding of his narrative style.
Cirrcus.
The Cirrus visualization in Voyant Tools generates an intuitive word cloud representation of Jude the Obscure, with word sizes proportionally reflecting their frequency of occurrence. The visualization prominently features words like "Jude," "Sue," "Christminster," and "marriage," highlighting the novel's principal characters and dominant themes. This visual tool enables readers to instantly comprehend Hardy's key narrative focuses and recurring literary motifs through a single consolidated view.
DreamScape
Knotes
The Knotes visualization offers a sophisticated network analysis of semantic relationships within Jude the Obscure. By mapping word proximities and contextual associations, it reveals intricate connections between themes, characters, and motifs. Notable clusters emerge around terms like "Jude," "Sue," "education," and "society," illuminating Hardy's exploration of personal aspirations, societal constraints, and intellectual pursuit. This analytical tool proves invaluable for understanding the complex thematic interconnections Hardy constructs throughout the narrative.
Mandala
The Mandala visualization in Voyant Tools employs a distinctive circular arrangement to display word frequencies and interconnections throughout Jude the Obscure. Key terms such as "Jude," "Sue," "Christminster," and "education" occupy prominent positions, reflecting their significance in the narrative. This radial representation enables readers to grasp the novel's thematic distribution and character relationships, offering an intuitive overview of Hardy's primary narrative elements and recurring motifs. The tool excels at revealing the underlying patterns and structural connections that bind the text together.
TermsBerry
The TermsBerry visualization presents intricate word clusters in Jude the Obscure, illustrating term frequency and textual relationships. Prominent words like "Jude," "Sue," "Christminster," and "aspiration" form interconnected groupings that emphasize the novel's principal characters and themes of ambition, romance, and social restrictions. This analytical tool effectively maps Hardy's thematic framework, enabling readers to identify meaningful patterns and conceptual links throughout the work.
StreamGraph
The StreamGraph visualization in Voyant Tools maps the evolving word frequencies across Jude the Obscure, creating flowing temporal patterns that reveal the narrative's progression. This dynamic visualization captures how key terms like "Jude," "Sue," and "Christminster" surge and ebb throughout different sections of the novel, illuminating their contextual significance. By tracking these linguistic currents, readers can observe Hardy's careful orchestration of themes, character arcs, and social commentary, gaining insights into how various narrative elements unfold and intersect across the text's timeline.
Learning Outcomes
Developed hands-on expertise with digital humanities platforms like Voyant for textual examination.
Mastered techniques to analyze and map word distributions and conceptual themes throughout the narrative.
Gained insight into character dynamics and narrative progression using visual tools like StreamGraph and Cirrus.
Investigated conceptual connections and thematic links through analytical tools like TermsBerry, Knotes, and DreamScape.
Discovered Hardy's recurring motifs of societal pressure, individual dreams, and human connections woven through the work.
Developed skills to integrate statistical analysis (frequency patterns, word groupings) with interpretative assessment for comprehensive textual understanding.
Recognized how digital analysis can uncover hidden patterns and frameworks that traditional reading methods might miss.
References
Barad, Dilip. "What If Machines Write Poems." What If Machines Write Poems, 1 Jan. 1970, blog.dilipbarad.com/2017/03/what-if-machines-write-poems.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2025.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment