Digital Methods for a Comparative Study of Central European Literary History
2025
Literature and cultural studies are increasingly dealing with the question of regionality, and in this context with the Central European or Visegrad region as a unique field of world literature. Typically, research examines cultural relations between nations in this region, their historical specificities, and how the region is represented in global literature. Despite the large textual sample required for such studies, Digital Humanities (DH) methodologies are seldom employed. While there are a few computational literary studies in the area, there has been no coordinated effort. This project aims to bring together leading DH researchers from the Visegrad countries to develop a regional literary historiography using digital literary studies. By doing so, we will identify the limitations of existing DH methods for less-researched languages like Polish, Czech, and Hungarian, and create new approaches based on previous experiences. This research is vital not only from a methodological standpoint but also for gaining deeper insights into the region’s shared yet diverse history. Data-driven analysis can reveal hidden patterns that traditional methods might overlook. For instance, we can examine how the cultural memories of Visegrad countries are structured, which translations historically shaped the literary field, and what stylistic or thematic features characterize the literature of certain periods. Ultimately, this project aims to deepen our understanding of Central European literary traditions using innovative digital tools.
