BGU Literary Lab

The Hebrew Novel project is led by Yael Dekel, as part of her inspiring work in the @bgu-litlab.bsky.social. The sub-project presented in this article is a result of our collaboration with our wonderful colleague, @gilad-jac.bsky.social.

Instead of trying to normalize this complexity, we embrace it! Our paper offers a statistical-phenomenological look at the complexity of the reading act. Huge thanks to the amazing JCLS editors and reviewers! @jcls-io.bsky.social

New paper out! Our Hebrew Novel Project started as a citizen science effort to collect data on thousands of novels. We quickly realized - surprise, surprise : ) - that reading is complex.

From Readers to Data. Uncertainty in Computational Literary Citizen Science We examine uncertainty in computational literary citizen science by analysing The Hebrew Novel Project, a large-scale initiative collecting reader interpretations of Hebrew novels. While citizen scien...

This week, we announce another article from #JCLS 4 (1):
Gilad Aviel Jacobson, @itaymm.bsky.social, and Yael Dekel. “From Readers to Data: #Uncertainty in Computational Literary Citizen Science” (10.48694/jcls.4169).
Check it out at: jcls.io/issue/118/in... #CLS #CCLS25 #CitizenScience

Figure 2 from the article: Distribution of different categories of uncertainty (y-axis) across 23 questionnaire items of different types.

Jacobson et al. explore how #ReaderUncertainty becomes a source of insight by embracing interpretive #ambiguity.
Drawing on 1,026 questionnaire responses from the #HebrewNovelProject, they examine how readers express uncertainty—from skipping questions to outright rejecting interpretive frameworks.

As always: #OpenData and #OpenCode
Dekel, Y., Marienberg-Milikowsky, I., & Jacobson, G. A. (2025). "From Readers to Data." #JCLS 2025. Data set. Zenodo. doi.org/10.5281/zeno....
#CCLS2025 #CLS #CitizenScience #Hebrew #LiteraryComputing #CulturalAnalytics

An exciting start to the new academic year. Our lab is expanding: We're thrilled to welcome new postdocs, RAs, and research projects (and due to this growth, we've even gained an extra room!). Ready for a year of productive and enjoyable teamwork. Full of hope.

www.facebook.com/share/1ApWQg...

I'm thrilled to announce that our Talmudic Stories project has just secured another three years of funding! (This news comes independently of today's presentation of the project in Lisbon). It's a significant achievement for our lab and for the research of late antique Hebrew literature.
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Now in the posters session in #DH2025 in Lisbon - Itay explains how to build a narratological database for late antique texts, based on our Talmudic stories project.

Next talk is by Gilad Aviel Jacobson, Yael Dekel, @itaymm.bsky.social: From Readers to Data. Uncertainty in Computational Literary Citizen Science (doi.org/10.26083/tup...)
#CCLS2025

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On my way home after an excellent conference, of the highest level. It was inspiring! My head is full of thoughts and ideas for the future. A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful editors of the journal, and to the local hosts! I'm proud to be a member in such an intellectual community. #CCLS2025

We were delighted last week to host Gilad Gutman (Tel-Aviv University and the Open University of Israel), for a talk about networks, political metaphors, and Shakespeare. What a fascinating work!

We are very happy to share that our paper "From Readers to Data", has been accepted for presentation at the 4th JCLS Conference (July 3–4, Krakow - jcls.io/site/ccls2025/). The paper is part of our ongoing Hebrew Novel project. We are looking forward! @jcls-io.bsky.social

We are pleased to present the lab meeting schedule for the current semester -

This month we have published the first article of JCLS 4(1)! It is the article by Janina Jacke on "Operationalization and Interpretation Dependence in Computational Literary Studies" (10.48694/jcls.3959). Check it out at: jcls.io/issue/118/in... #JCLS #RollingIssue

Operationalization and Interpretation Dependence in Computational Literary Studies This contribution discusses the relation between the (computational) operationalization of literary studies concepts and the property of interpretation dependence, which applies to many relevant literary studies research questions and poses specific challenges to operationalization. Using the attempt to operationalize the narratological concept of unreliable narration as an illustrative example, the paper addresses three crucial subtasks for operationalizing a concept (definition, identification of steps necessary to decide if it applies and the actual application) and explicates if and why interpretation dependence complicates them. The paper concludes with general recommendations for operationalizing complex concepts coupled with a high degree of interpretation dependence.

Jacke examines how #interpretation dependence challenges the computational #operationalization of literary #concepts, using #UnreliableNarration as a case study, and offers recommendations for handling complex, interpretation-dependent concepts. doi.org/10.48694/jcl... #JCLS #LiteraryStudies

We will be there too, with (at least) two posters :) Looking forward!

Call for Applications for the Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship - The Azrieli Foundation

azrielifoundation.org/azrieli-fell...

There is an opportunity also for postdoctoral fellowships - excellent relevant candidates are welcome to contact us and apply!

CFA: Azrieli International Visiting PhD Fellowship - The Azrieli Foundation

azrielifoundation.org/azrieli-fell...

Outstanding PhD students interested in working in our lab for up to 4 months are welcome to apply!

Open-access version of a chapter on "Literary Change" that I contributed to a recent Cambridge Companion. It tries to give a cautious account of what we learned about the tension between periodization and continuity from distant reading. + hdl.handle.net/2142/126039

Ok, we are here now.