Emily Livingston and Faculty Mentor: Christopher Oscarson, Scandinavian Studies
The aim of this project was to examine themes common to the works of Selma Lagerlof using a revolutionary method allowed by modern technology: computer modeling. The corpus of Lagerlof’s work was run through a computer program which then output, or modeled, topics based on nouns shown to be used in similar passagesi. Topics could be made broad or narrow by restricting the number the computer would produce, ranging from 25 to 70 Some of the topics generated were surprising, even to those well-versed in Lagerlof’s work. Still, others seemed to follow a more generic route, indicating stylistic choices made by Lagerlof as well as a reflection of Swedish culture at the time. Two themes that seemed to be explored in great depth throughout all levels of topic modeling were those of man’s interactions with nature and the varying roles of women.
One of the primary goals of this project was to study in greater depth the role of early ecology in Lagerlof’s writing. Indeed, one could argue that at for her time, Lagerlof showed a surprising understanding of how both man and nation can impact each other. Many topics reflected interactions with nature as a traveling observer, such as Travel Over Water ii, Travel by Land esp. on Horse iii, and Mountain Traveliv. Others emphasize a more direct relationship between man and nature, such as Protection of Forest Life v, Interaction of Man and Fire vi, and Interactions Between Man and Nature vii.
It is seldom that Lagerlof chooses to write about different aspects of nature exclusively. Instead, she appears to emphasize how man experiences and impacts nature. This relationship appears in nearly all of her major works, though perhaps most blatantly in The Wonderful Adventure of Nils, or Nils Holgersson viii as it is known in Swedish. In this, as in other novels and short stories, human characters have intimate encounters with nature itself, and animals take on human characteristics, frequently expressing concern or pleasure over the potential consequences of human actions.
Another common theme throughout Lagerlof’s writing is the role of women. Lagerlof was unique to this period in Swedish literature given that she was one of few successful female authors. That she was able to do so while emphasizing the role of women in her society is worthy of note. Indeed, she touches on many different aspects of the lives of women in her time, as shown by topics such as Female Relationships and How They Change Over Time ix, Women in Movement x, Weddings xi, and Women in the Home xii. Lagerlof portrayed a variety of women, including young girls, old aunties, wealthy and poor young women, mothers, grandmothers, and others. Lagerlof’s work gives a unique insight into the daily lives of Swedish women that we would not otherwise have.
The project remains an ongoing endeavor. More of Lagerlof’s short stories are in the process of being added to the corpus and incorporated into topic modeling, while more autobiographical works are being removed. In the past year, most attention was
paid to topic naming. The process was surprisingly time consuming as it required translation and some reading of Lagerlof’s works (provided with each topic) in order to name each topic. In addition, there were occasional setbacks due to programming issues with either the online database or topic modeling. Occasionally animals would be used as characters, making common words such as Uncle, Moose, Eagle, and Bear an unreliable basis for naming certain topics despite their frequent occurrence. Additionally, some words in Swedish—such as “hand” and “way”—are are used in many common phrases, each with a unique meaning and usage. This can make it difficult to pin down the precising meaning of each of these words when it appears in the topic model, as well as how crucial the word may or may not be to the topic as a whole. As the project currently stands, improvements are being made to the topic modeling program so the topics generated more accurately reflect the themes common to Lagerlof’s work. However, the work of the last year has provided a solid basis for further research regarding Selma Lagerlof’s writings.
i All topics are available for viewing under the Selma Lagerlof project at www.nordicdh.org.
ii 40 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 9
iii 40 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 11
iv 40 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 29
v 40 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 21
vi 55 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 54
vii 55 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 24
viii Lagerlof, 1907, Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, Albert Bonniers Forlag, Stockholm, Sweden
ix 40 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 2
x 40 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 6
xi 55 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 12,
xii 55 Topics, Nouns Only, Topic 34