[Article title missing]

Abstract

Computational drama analysis often treats plays as static entities, overlooking both their processual nature and the influence of literary history in their formation. This paper aims to address these limitations. Building on our previous research, which quantitatively examined the structural differences between dramatic genres (comedies and tragedies), we introduce the dimension of temporality in two key ways. First, we explore the impact of a play’s creation time on its classification. While our findings suggest that the time of creation does not significantly influence structural characteristics, they reveal a gradual decline in the distinctiveness of generic structures over time. These results contribute to ongoing debates in genre theory, particularly regarding structuralism versus historicism, as well as to discussions on the cultural evolution of dramatic genres. Second, we investigate how structural features evolve within individual works as their plots unfold. Our analysis emphasises the processual nature of genre-specific relationships between characters, offering a dynamic perspective on dramatic form.

Keywords

• fachartikel
• drama
• gattungstheorie
• handlung (literatur)
• informationsfluss
• netzwerkanalyse
• literaturwissenschaft