Distant Reading in Russian Formalism and Russian Formalism in Distant Reading

Abstract

This article argues that both the Russian Formalists and Digital Humanists infer meaning from patterns of development in literature. Key to this comparison is the figure of Boris Iarkho, whose statistics- and biology-driven methodology based on large corpora of texts anticipated Digital Humanities by more than a half century. One of the main tasks of the article is to contextualize Iarkho’s work. By comparing Iarkho with Franco Moretti, Matthew Jockers, and other Digital Humanists, I hope to demonstrate the relevance of Russian Formalism and Digital Humanities to one another. The former offers theoretical and methodological depth, the latter the opportunity to carry on with the projects launched by Iarkho and other Russian Formalists. At the same time, the comparison with Digital Humanities reveals some fundamental discrepancies within Russian Formalism, namely, between Iarkho and the group of Viktor Shklovskii. I show that they were diametrically opposed to each other in their understanding of literary evolution and form. I argue that these divergences, distinguishable in Russian Formalism thanks to Digital Humanities, can enrich our dialogue about the value, status, and meaning of literature.