Hardening soft sciences, softening hard sciences : literary studies in the age of 'big data'

Abstract EN

Today, technology is breaking down the barriers between disciplines and subjects, and one of the immediate consequences of what Milad Doueihi calls 'the digital turn' is interdisciplinary.

The intersection and interaction of many disciplines have not spared literary criticism.

The present paper is a reflection on the impact of the digital turn on literary studies.

It is divided into four parts and is structured as follows.

First, I start by questioning the similarities and differences between soft and hard sciences.

The following part is a brief survey of scholarly sources on the emerging field of DH.

Some basic concepts like big data, DH, distant reading, and close reading are defined.

The following part reviews some available tools that support close reading and distant reading.

The paper ends with some remarks on the necessity to adapt literary studies to these changes and use qualitative and quantitative methods in teaching literature.