Abstract
My Independent Study analyzes individual responses from Goodreads book clubs that discussed race and gender-related themes in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad (2016). Through topic-based sentiment analysis, I reveal the members’ change from positive to negative sentiment on gender and race-related categories. In order to understand how the members change their opinions, I contextualize the same individual responses through literary criticism, critical race theory, and feminist theory to analyze the members’ arguments. While the members touch on aspects of feminist and critical race theory, their reliance on traditional gender roles and dedication to historical accuracy ultimately limits their ability to imitate theoretical frameworks. Through this study, I combine digital analysis and literary analysis techniques to create a complementary partnership by extending opportunities that exist in sentiment analysis through literary close reading on online platforms.
Advisor
Hayward, Jennifer
Second Advisor
Orta, David
Department
English; Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Lockwood, Catherine, "“Discourse Begins in a Book Club”: An Analysis of Online Book Club Literary Discussion of Race and Gender in The Handmaid’s Tale and The Underground Railroad" (2018). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 8152.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/8152
Disciplines
Digital Humanities | Gender and Sexuality | Literature in English, North America | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies | Race and Ethnicity
Keywords
online book clubs, sentiment analysis, Goodreads, The Handmaid's Tale, The Underground Railroad, feminism, history
Publication Date
2018
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2018 Catherine Lockwood