Project description

Literature is highly prized in Germany, and various studies have demonstrated the positive effects of reading and writing on the individual psyche. What people read and write about changes with time (of life): not only are there books written specifically for children and young adults, there are also differences in the genre preferences of adults from different generations. In general, literary history is shaped by eras during which specific topics and styles are particularly prevalent. This research project took a closer look at the temporal element of thematic trends and moods in German literature. Temporal differences can reflect the effects of different eras as well as age-specific changes and generational differences of the kind typically defined in demographic research. The definition of eras in literary research is based on period effects.

This research project firstly analysed temporal trends in literature based on the year of publication, and secondly engaged with potential age-related and generational effects on authors, which generally receive very scant attention in literary studies. The titles of every book published in Germany since 1913 were evaluated to derive key concepts and moods. The Integrated Authority File (GND) and the free platform Wikidata were used to supplement the book data with data on the authors. In this context, the catalogue data were treated as a panel data record. This approach was designed to separate the specific influences of age, cohort membership and factors in contemporary history in order to explain moods and thematic focuses in German literature and create a complete quantitative overview.

The project was proposed and realised by Nicole Schwitter.

Results and further information

Project report

Nicole Schwitter on GitHub

Duration

January 2023 - June 2023

Contact

DH-Stipendien@dnb.de