Abstract:
This thesis is an overture to the exploration of modern digital tools in the study of 19th century French literature. The following research question will be addressed:
To what extent are computational GIS and Sentiment Analysis tools suited to enhance our understanding of Stendhal’s Voyages en France?
This research project has multiple uses: it evaluates the use of new digital tools (QGIS, ArcGIS Online, SummarizeBot) for the study of 19th century French travel literature. The application of these tools are accompanied by a thorough evaluation of the effectivity of its functioning for this particular corpus and research question. Next to this main goal, it also discusses the origins of tourism in France, and Stendhal’ typical égotisme. The chosen case study, Stendhal’s (1783-1842) Voyages en France, is a fine example of his characteristic writing style, a mixture of a quest for a “dry” realistic documentation and a strong individuality and subjectivity.
