Journal of Literary Theory (JLT)

Pichler, Axel

Reiter, Nils

1 
 
Axel Pichler und Nils Reiter 
Zur Operationalisierung literaturwissenschaftlicher Begriffe in 
der algorithmischen Textanalyse. Eine Annäherung über Norbert 
Altenhofers hermeneutische Modellinterpretation von Kleists Das 
Erdbeben in Chili 
(Abstract) 
• Full-length article in: JLT 15/1-2 (2021), 1–29. 
The present article discusses and reflects on possible ways of operationalizing the terminology 
of traditional literary studies for use in computational literary studies. By »operationalization«, 
we mean the development of a method for tracing a (theoretical) term back to text-surface 
phenomena; this is done explicitly and in a rule-based manner, involving a series of substeps. 
This procedure is presented in detail using as a concrete example Norbert Altenhofer’s »model 
interpretation« (Modellinterpretation) of Heinrich von Kleist’s The Earthquake in Chile. In the 
process, we develop a multi-stage operation – reflected upon throughout in terms of its 
epistemological implications – that is based on a rational-hermeneutic reconstruction of 
Altenhofer’s interpretation, which focuses on »mysteriousness« (Rätselhaftigkeit), a concept 
from everyday language. As we go on to demonstrate, when trying to operationalize this term, 
one encounters numerous difficulties, which is owing to the fact that Altenhofer’s use of it is 
underspecified in a number of ways. Thus, for instance, and contrary to Altenhofer’s 
suggestion, Kleist’s sentences containing »relativizing or perspectivizing phrases such as ›it 
seemed‹ or ›it was as if‹« (Altenhofer 2007, 45) do by no means, when analyzed linguistically, 
suggest a questioning or challenge of the events narrated, since the unreal quality of those 
German sentences only relates to the comparison in the subordinate clause, not to the respective 
main clause. Another indicator central to Altenhofer’s ascription of »mysteriousness« is his 
concept of a »complete facticity« (lückenlose Faktizität) which »does not seem to leave 
anything ›open‹« (Altenhofer 2007, 45). Again, the precise designation of what exactly 
qualifies facticity as »complete« is left open, since Kleist’s novella does indeed select for 
portrayal certain phenomena and actions within the narrated world (and not others). The degree 
of factuality in Kleist’s text may be higher than it is in other texts, but it is by no means 
»complete«. In the context of Altenhofer’s interpretation, »complete facticity« may be taken to 
mean a narrative mode in which terrible events are reported using conspicuously sober and at 
times drastic language. Following the critical reconstruction of Altenhofer’s use of terminology, 
the central terms and their relationship to one another are first explicated (in natural language), 
which already necessitates intensive conceptual work. We do so implementing a hierarchical 
understanding of the terms discussed: the definition of one term uses other terms which also 
need to be defined and operationalized. In accordance with the requirements of computational 
text analysis, this hierarchy of terms should end in »directly measurable« terms – i. e., in terms 
that can be clearly identified on the surface of the text. This, however, leads to the question of 
whether (and, if so, on the basis of which theoretical assumptions) the terminology of literary 
studies may be traced back in this way to text-surface phenomena. Following the pragmatic as 
well as the theoretical discussion of this complex of questions, we indicate ways by which such 
definitions may be converted into manual or automatic recognition. In the case of manual 
recognition, the paradigm of annotation – as established and methodologically reflected in 
(computational) linguistics – will be useful, and a well-controlled annotation process will help 
to further clarify the terms in question. The primary goal, however, is to establish a recognition 
2 
 
rule by which individuals may intersubjectively and reliably identify instances of the term in 
question in a given text. While it is true that in applying this method to literary studies, new 
challenges arise – such as the question of the validity and reliability of the annotations –, these 
challenges are at present being researched intensively in the field of computational literary 
studies, which has resulted in a large and growing body of research to draw on. In terms of 
computer-aided recognition, we examine, by way of example, two distinct approaches: 1) The 
kind of operationalization which is guided by precedent definitions and annotation rules 
benefits from the fact that each of its steps is transparent, may be validated and interpreted, and 
that existing tools from computational linguistics can be integrated into the process. In the 
scenario used here, these would be tools for recognizing and assigning character speech, for the 
resolution of coreference and the assessment of events; all of these, in turn, may be based on 
either machine learning, prescribed rules or dictionaries. 2) In recent years, so-called end-to-
end systems have become popular which, with the help of neural networks, »infer« target terms 
directly from a numerical representation of the data. These systems achieve superior results in 
many areas. However, their lack of transparency also raises new questions, especially with 
regard to the interpretation of results. Finally, we discuss options for quality assurance and draw 
a first conclusion. Since numerous decisions have to be made in the course of 
operationalization, and these, in practice, are often pragmatically justified, the question quickly 
arises as to how »good« a given operationalization actually is. And since the tools borrowed 
from computational linguistics (especially the so-called inter-annotator agreement) can only 
partially be transferred to computational literary studies and, moreover, objective standards for 
the quality of a given implementation will be difficult to find, it ultimately falls to the 
community of researchers and scholars to decide, based on their research standards, which 
operationalizations they accept. At the same time, operationalization is the central link between 
the computer sciences and literary studies, as well as being a necessary component for a large 
part of the research done in computational literary studies. The advantage of a conscious, 
deliberate and reflective operationalization practice lies not only in the fact that it can be used 
to achieve reliable quantitative results (or that a certain lack of reliability at least is a known 
factor); it also lies in its facilitation of interdisciplinary cooperation: in the course of 
operationalization, concrete sets of data are discussed, as are the methods for analysing them, 
which taken together minimizes the risk of misunderstandings, »false friends« and of an 
unproductive exchange more generally. 
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3 
 
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5 
 
2022-01-13 
JLTonline ISSN 1862-8990 
Copyright © by the author. All rights reserved. 
This work may be copied for non-profit educational use if proper credit is given to the author 
and JLTonline. 
For other permission, please contact JLTonline. 
How to cite this item: 
Abstract of: Axel Pichler und Nils Reiter, Zur Operationalisierung literaturwissenschaftlicher Begriffe in der 
algorithmischen Textanalyse. Eine Annäherung über Norbert Altenhofers hermeneutische Modellinterpretation 
von Kleists Das Erdbeben in Chili. 
In: JLTonline (13.01.2021)  
Persistent Identifier: urn:nbn:de:0222-004576 
Link: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0222-004576 
 


Zur Operationalisierung literaturwissenschaftlicher Begriffe in der algorithmischen Textanalyse. Eine Annäherung über Norbert Altenhofers hermeneutische Modellinterpretation von Kleists Das Erdbeben in Chili

Remele, Florian

Theorie und Methode der Gattungsgeschichtsschreibung. Mediävistische Perspektiven

Weinstock, Alexander

Das umgeschriebene Genie. Zum Verhältnis von literarischem Autorschaftsdiskurs und Schriftpraktiken im Theater

Baumbach, Sibylle; Universität Osnabrück

Krämer, Olav

Winko, Simone

Editorial

Pokrywka, Rafał

1 
 
Rafał Pokrywka 
Einführung und Modifikation von Genrebegriffen als 
Wertungsstrategien im literarischen Feld  
(Abstract) 
• Full-length article in: JLT 15/1-2 (2021), 30–52. 
In the first part of the paper, the interconnection of evaluation and classification in the literary 
field is discussed. Genre constitutes one of the central notions in Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology 
of literature. Werner Michler’s suggestion to regard genres not as theoretical models or 
collections of features, but as classifications by agents of the literary field, is expanded by the 
aspect of genre evaluation. Both processes of classification and evaluation seem intertwined 
and could be understood as evaluation strategies by agents and communities of the literary field. 
Introduction of new genre terms and their modification are popular strategies of revaluation of 
genres, works, authors, and audiences. In the paper, four groups of agents of the generic process 
identified by Michler (producers, distributors, non-professional recipients, and professional 
agencies of evaluation) are analysed in view of their power of revaluation. Furthermore, they 
are placed in the contemporary German literary field on the basis of Heribert Tommek’s model 
and depicted as hypothetical members of evaluative genre communities. These communities 
consist of agents and groups (e. g. fandoms) that defend and support genres, seeing in them a 
stake in the game which is the illusio, the faith in the principles of the field. 
In the second part, agents, communities, and their evaluative strategies are presented. First of 
all, it is the reception mechanisms which decide on the attribution of values to genres and affect 
the production of literature. Therefore, the authors write their texts with regard to conventional 
classifications and take part as well, more or less directly, in the processes of revaluation of 
genres they want to be associated with. The avant-garde is either interested in original genre 
terms or it avoids any ascriptions whatsoever. In comparison, the mainstream and the subfield 
of mass production concentrate on medially attractive or conventional and recognizable terms. 
Authors which have accumulated large symbolic capital can also revaluate genres with their 
prestige. The potential of terms and evaluations is also reflected in the structure of the field as 
seen by distributors of literature. Paratexts, advertisements, blurbs, and brands change 
according to their place on the aesthetic or economic pole of the field. This way, audiences that 
can choose genres, values and evaluations on the basis of the existing classifications are created 
and influenced. Even if their symbolic power is small, they manage to formulate evaluative 
classifications, first of all in the flexible area (forums, blogs) close to the professional agencies 
of evaluation. Genres are re- and devaluated also in the literary studies and by the critics. Here, 
the conscious usage of genre terms characterizes the profession. Literary critics and reviewers 
often choose new, original terms in order to prove their professional abilities of classification. 
In the structure of the field, between the avant-garde and the subfield of mass production, 
struggles for symbolic capital and the right to establish new classifications and evaluations take 
place. In these struggles, there are various agents of the generic process with their specific 
strategies involved. Many of them can be grasped as members of more or less stable evaluative 
communities. 
In the third part, the mainly theoretical explanations are complemented by two case studies of 
a weak (the so-called Aussteigerroman) and a strong (dystopian science fiction) revaluation of 
2 
 
the genre in the last decades. Behind the career of the Aussteigerroman (novel about an 
outsider) there is of course the outsider-trend returning regularly since the 60’s, however, no 
strong evaluative communities in the form of institutions, media, or genre-oriented critics. In 
comparison, the career and popularity of dystopian fiction in all its variety and terminological 
modifications of the recent years cannot be reduced to external factors (like fear of the uncertain 
future, terrorism or pandemics), but it should be primarily explained in view of the influence 
exerted by agents and communities revaluating the genre. Both careers are cursorily depicted 
at the end of the paper. 
 
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4 
 
2022-01-14 
JLTonline ISSN 1862-8990 
Copyright © by the author. All rights reserved. 
This work may be copied for non-profit educational use if proper credit is given to the author 
and JLTonline. 
For other permission, please contact JLTonline. 
How to cite this item: 
Abstract of: Rafał Pokrywka, Einführung und Modifikation von Genrebegriffen als Wertungsstrategien im 
literarischen Feld. 
In: JLTonline (14.01.2022)  
Persistent Identifier: urn:nbn:de:0222-004581 
Link: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0222-004581  
 


Einführung und Modifikation von Genrebegriffen als Wertungsstrategien im literarischen Feld

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Gemeinsam Räume schaffen. Facetten kollektiven Arbeitens in Architektur und Planung

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The Concept of Liminality as a Theoretical Tool in Literary Memory Studies: Liminal Aspects of Memory in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children

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Fictionality and Pleasure. Traces of a Practice of Fictionality in Medieval German Short Verse Narratives?

Robanus, Adrian; Universität zu Köln, Internationales Kolleg Morphomata

Erzählen und Erkenntnis. Ansätze zu einer Systematik der historischen Narratologie des 18. Jahrhunderts [Sebastian Meixner, Narratologie und Epistemologie, 2019]

Lavocat, Françoise

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Françoise Lavocat 
Dido Meets Aeneas: Anachronism, Alternative History, 
Counterfactual Thinking and the Idea of Fiction  
(Abstract) 
• Full-length article in: JLT 14/2 (2020), 194–214. 
The anachronistic character of the loving relationship between Dido and Aeneas was widely 
and commonly discussed among commentators, critics, and writers in the early modern period. 
From the 16th century onwards, when the word »anachronism« appeared in vernacular 
languages, its definition was even inseparable from the example borrowed from the Aeneid. 
The purpose of this article is to interrelate early modern debates on anachronism, reflections on 
the status of fiction and the history of fiction. 
Starting with the hypothesis that anachronism is a form of counterfactual, the questions posed 
in this article are: did forms of counterfactuals exist before the 19th century, to what extent did 
they differ from contemporary alternative histories and, if so, why? The story of Dido and 
Aeneas in the Aeneid can be considered »counterfactual«, because this version of the narrative 
about the queen of Carthage was opposed to another, which was considered to be historical and 
which made Dido a privileged embodiment of female virtue and value. 
Several important shifts are highlighted in this article. With the exception of St. Augustine (who 
saw in Vergil’s anachronism confirmation of the inanity of fiction), before the 16th century 
indifference towards anachronism prevailed: the two versions of Dido’s story were often 
juxtaposed or combined. If Vergil’s version of Dido’s story was condemned, it was for moral 
reasons: the exemplary version, considered more historically accurate, was favored throughout 
the Middle Ages, notably by Petrarch and Boccaccio. 
From the 16th century onwards, however, increased acquaintance with Aristotle’s Poetics 
promoted greater demand for rationality and plausibility in fables. This coincided with the 
appearance of the word »chronology« and its development, which led to a new understanding 
of historical time. Anachronism then appeared to be a fault against verisimilitude, and as such 
was strongly condemned, for example by the commentator on Aristotle, Lodovico Castelvetro. 
At the same time, the argument of poetic license was also often invoked: it actually became the 
most common position on this issue. Vergil’s literary canonization, moreover, meant that the 
version of Dido’s life in the Aeneid was the only story that was known and cited, and from the 
17th century onwards it totally supplanted the exemplary version. Strangely enough, 
permissiveness towards anachronism in treatises, prefaces, or comments on literary works was 
not accompanied by any development of counterfactual literature in early modern period. 
Indeed, in both narrative and theatrical genres fiction owed its development and legitimization 
to the triumph of the criterion of plausibility. 
This article, however, discusses several examples that illustrate how the affirmation of fiction 
in the early modern period was expressed through minor variations on anachronism: the 
counterfictional form of Ronsard’s epic, La Franciade, which represents an explicit deviation 
from the Iliad; the metaleptic meeting of Vergil and Dido in the Underworld in Fontenelle’s Le 
dialogue des morts; and the provocative proposal for a completely different version of Dido’s 
life, which was made in an early 17th century Venetian operatic work by an author who claimed 
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to be anti-Aristotelian. This study thus intends to provide an aspect of the story of fiction. The 
change of perspective on anachronism marks a retreat from moral argument, with privilege 
given to aesthetic criteria and relative independence with regard to history – while still 
moderated by the criterion of verisimilitude, as underlined by the abbé d’Aubignac, as well as 
Corneille. 
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2021-07-02 
JLTonline ISSN 1862-8990 
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How to cite this item: 
Abstract of: Françoise Lavocat, Dido Meets Aeneas. Anachronism, Alternative History, Counterfactual Thinking 
and the Idea of Fiction. 
In: JLTonline (02.07.2021)  
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Dido Meets Aeneas: Anachronism, Alternative History, Counterfactual Thinking and the Idea of Fiction

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