EPIMAPS: Mapping Nineteenth-century National and Transnational Literary Networks through Epigraphs

The project at a glance

• Start date:
  01 Feb 2025

• Duration in months:
  36
  

• Funding:
  IAS Luxembourg / European Commission

• Principal Investigator(s):
  Dr. Tomas ESPINO BARRERA
  

About

EPIMAPS explores national and transnational literary networks through the study of epigraphs (quotations at the beginning of a book or chapter). First, this project will be concerned with a mapping of epigraph theory within intertextuality and paratextuality studies. Second, a distant reading of a large multilingual corpus through network visualization techniques shall try to reveal the complex patterns of literary circulation via epigraphs in nineteenth-century Europe. Finally, this computational distant reading perspective will be complemented by a series of close readings analysing the functions of epigraphs in different literary contexts. These readings of nineteenth-century epigraphs may inform and nuance contributions towards a new theory of intertextuality. In so doing, the uncanny ability of epigraphs to adopt new meanings and functions in new contexts while retaining (for the most part) their literality shall be reflected in the structure of this project: In the age of digital humanities, nineteenth-century epigraphs may shed new light onto literary theory and history.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement 101081455.

Organisation and partners

Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE)
Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH)
Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS)
European Commission