%0 Journal Article
%T Style and chronology: A stylometric investigation of Aphra Behn¡¯s dramatic style and the dating of The Young King
%A Mel Evans
%J Language and Literature
%@ 1461-7293
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0963947018772505
%X Aphra Behn¡¯s dramatic outputs are recognized for their diversity and responsiveness to trends in Restoration drama. A stylometric approach is used to investigate the linguistic dimension of Behn¡¯s dramatic style, with a particular focus on evidence of chronological change. Quantitative analysis (most frequent words, function words, zeta) suggests that Behn¡¯s drama falls into three periods. A qualitative analysis indicates that the periodization may reflect a change in the construction of Behn¡¯s dramatic worlds, from an abstract psychological focus to a more grounded, interactive and social representation. The study considers the problematic dating of Behn¡¯s tragi-comedy The Young King. Although critical opinion holds that this play was the first that Behn wrote (i.e. pre-1670), the stylometric analysis suggests that Behn heavily revised, or, indeed, penned, the drama in the mid-to-late 1670s, mid-way through her writing career. The paper demonstrates the potential for stylochronometric techniques to complement other linguistic approaches to style, and enhance our understanding of how literary writing evolves
%K Aphra Behn
%K authorial style
%K chronological change
%K computational stylistics
%K stylometry
%K The Young King
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963947018772505