Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 1, No. 30. Monday, 27 Aug 1990.
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 90 16:31:46 EDT
From: Ken Steele <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Subject: Stylometry Analysis added to SHAKSPER Fileserver
[Following are the opening paragraphs of a dissertation abstract
recently added to the SHAKSPER Fileserver and available for your
retrieval at any time. Issue the interactive command, "TELL
LISTSERV@utoronto GET STYLOMET FLETCHER SHAKSPER" or consult your
SHAKSPER GUIDE for further information. KS]
Summary: The Effectiveness of the Stylometry of Function Words in
Discriminating between Shakespeare and Fletcher
Thomas Bolton Horton
A number of recent successful authorship studies have relied on a statistical
analysis of language features based on function words. However, stylometry has
not been extensively applied to Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatic questions.
To determine the effectiveness of such an approach in this field, language
features were studied in twenty-four plays by Shakespeare and eight by
Fletcher. The goal was to develop procedures that might be used to determine
the authorship of individual scenes in _The Two Noble Kinsmen_ (TNK) and
_Henry VIII_ (H8) . . .