TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantifying the Presence of Ancient Greek and Latin Classics in Early Modern Britain
AU - Fantoli, Margherita
AU - Suomela, Jukka
AU - Van Hal, Toon
AU - Depauw, Mark
AU - Virkki, Lari
AU - Tolonen, Mikko
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, McGill University. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025/3
Y1 - 2025/3
N2 - This paper explores the reception of classical works in Early Modern Britain during the hand press era, between the 1470s and 1790s. It investigates canon formation, knowledge transmission, and the integration of digital archives in quantitative book history. The study quantitatively maps changing perceptions of the classical canon across time, offering a panoramic view of ‘shifting canons’. The analysis is based on three data archives: the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), Early English Books Online (EEBO), and Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO). We conclude that we can observe a “canonization” of the set of classical authors printed in Early Modern England, which is reflected in a significant loss of diversity in publications, despite a general increase of the publication of classical works. Preferences also shift, with ancient Greek authors of the early centuries gaining significantly more space in the 18th century. This finding however is balanced by the observation that the circulation of Ancient Greek editions in the original language does not increase during this time. This multidimensional approach contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the reception of Classics in Early Modern Britain, shedding light on cultural and intellectual transformations.
AB - This paper explores the reception of classical works in Early Modern Britain during the hand press era, between the 1470s and 1790s. It investigates canon formation, knowledge transmission, and the integration of digital archives in quantitative book history. The study quantitatively maps changing perceptions of the classical canon across time, offering a panoramic view of ‘shifting canons’. The analysis is based on three data archives: the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), Early English Books Online (EEBO), and Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO). We conclude that we can observe a “canonization” of the set of classical authors printed in Early Modern England, which is reflected in a significant loss of diversity in publications, despite a general increase of the publication of classical works. Preferences also shift, with ancient Greek authors of the early centuries gaining significantly more space in the 18th century. This finding however is balanced by the observation that the circulation of Ancient Greek editions in the original language does not increase during this time. This multidimensional approach contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the reception of Classics in Early Modern Britain, shedding light on cultural and intellectual transformations.
KW - Classics
KW - Early Modern Britain
KW - Hand press
KW - Metadata
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105004306991&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.22148/001c.128008
DO - 10.22148/001c.128008
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105004306991
SN - 2371-4549
VL - 10
SP - 1
EP - 36
JO - Journal of Cultural Analytics
JF - Journal of Cultural Analytics
IS - 1
ER -