Are the Beautiful Good in Western Literature?: A Simple Illustration of the Necessity of Literary Quantification

Abstract

Summary Social psychologists consistently find evidence for a physical attractiveness stereotype (PAS) whereby people attribute positive personality characteristics to the physically attractive and negative personality characteristics to the physically unattractive. Researchers summarise the PAS phenomenon with the aphorisms “what is beautiful is good ‘and’ what is ugly is bad”. Are traces of this stereotype detectable in Western literature? Are “good” characters more likely to be portrayed as physically attractive and are “bad” characters more likely to be portrayed as physically unattractive or ugly? And what is the best way of addressing these questions? This study presents results of a quantitative content analysis designed to determine whether or not the PAS is reflected in a sample of plot and character summaries taken to be reasonably representative of “canonical” Western literature. Results are reported for the sample as a whole, based on the characters’ sex, and for three broad historical periods. Discussion focuses on the relevance of our results to debates about the origins of the PAS, and on the unexpected finding of sharp differences in the strength of the stereotype in male versus female characters. More broadly, we seek to provide a modest illustration of the value of a more scientific approach to literary study.