Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Fall 2024
Abstract
This study uses sentiment analysis technology to examine six seminal comprehensive texts on American history. The texts range in publication dates from 1835 to 2018 and include notable authors such as the notorious Howard Zinn and former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. Sentiment analysis creates quantitative data based on literature that rates each sentence on a sentiment scale that identifies the level of emotional intensity or neutrality, as well as if it is positive or negative emotional intensity. By using this technology, the study aims to identify and compare the story arcs and crux points of the six books, as well as the level of emotional intensity used throughout to identify historiographical trends, as well as how the time period during which a text was written and the author’s background impact the narrative structure of the text.
Recommended Citation
Brigham, Maisie Jane and Elkins, Katherine, "Narrative Structures in American History: Using Sentiment Analysis to Identify Trends in Historiography" (2024). IPHS 200: Programming Humanity. Paper 80.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/dh_iphs_prog/80
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.