Serial publication and the emotional associations of words in Dickens' David Copperfield.
A study of the emotional associations and imagery of words in Dickens' serially published novel David Copperfield, quantified by the Dictionary of Affect in Language, identified patterns both in the whole novel and within its chapters and installments. The Pleasantness and Activation of words rose significantly across the novel, while the use of Imagery first fell and then rose again. The last chapter of each installment had shorter sentences and higher scores for Imagery than other chapters, and words within last chapters tended to rise in Pleasantness and Activation within the chapter. It was felt this was likely as a result of Dickens' efforts to maintain dynamism and increase reader interest.
Whissell
Cynthia
C
Psychology Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada.
D001143:Arousal; D001319:Authorship; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D033182:Intention; D008093:Literature, Modern; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D012660:Semantics; D012693:Serial Publications; D012984:Software; D014956:Writing