Story Visualization of Literary Works: How a Computer Reads Shakespeare's Plays

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Yamada, M. | Murai, Y.

Affiliations: Division of Linguistics and Literature, Graduate School of Letters, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan. Email: yamada-m@eng.hokudai.ac.jp | Department of Intelligent Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan. Email: murai@eng.hokudai.ac.jp

Abstract: With the rapid advance in information technology, the applicability of computers has moved from the scientific field towards simulating human intelligence. We are already familiar with using computers to produce music and art and for language translation. A further use is in understanding traditional man-made products; best exemplified by literary works. In this study, we focus on enabling a computer to visualize the meaning of stories. Four world-famous plays by William Shakespeare have been chosen to demonstrate how the visualization scheme works in grasping the meaning of the stories. The scheme employs primitive keyword detection and ellipsoidal differential equations to create a visual imagery of the story. This methodology ensures uniqueness in the visualization of an individual work. In addition, color palettes obtained from pictures relevant to each story are used to enrich the consistency between the visual sense and the meaning of the story.

Keywords: Visualization, Literature, Shakespeare, Story analysis, Computer interpretation

Journal: Journal of Visualization, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 181-188, 2009