This thesis delves into the early modern Dutch and Flemish chroniclers' perceptions and the trust or distrust of newspapers, particularly focusing on the emergence of newspapers in 1618 and their...Show moreThis thesis delves into the early modern Dutch and Flemish chroniclers' perceptions and the trust or distrust of newspapers, particularly focusing on the emergence of newspapers in 1618 and their evolving role in chronicles over time. This study uses computational methods, in which a macro-level analysis of a corpus of 275 early modern Dutch chronicles and a micro-level case study are combined. The research aims to explore how these chroniclers incorporated newspapers into their accounts, shedding light on their trust or distrust in this new medium. The study shows that chroniclers used newspapers as sources in their works, indicating a level of faith in the newspaper's content. The analysis of the full corpus supports previous findings on prevalent themes, source utilization, and the integration of newspapers into society. It appears that newspaper integration began in the second part of the seventeenth century and peaked in the eighteenth century. This corresponds to the increasing popularity of newspapers at the time. Notably, the chroniclers' mentions of newspapers remained consistent in frequency, indicating that newspapers held a similar level of importance despite changes in their content. The research emphasises the importance of chronicles as historical sources for understanding early modern news consumption and views. Given the obstacles faced by historic languages and imperfect transcriptions, it also emphasises the importance of close reading alongside computational tools. In conclusion, this research contributes to the understanding of early modern newspaper reception, emphasizing the trust chroniclers placed in newspapers while acknowledging occasional expressions of doubt. It also provides insights into the limitations and possibilities of computational methods in historical research, emphasizing the remaining importance of close reading.Show less
This thesis presents an edition of a selection of letters written by Jurriaan Eindhoven and his soon to be wife Jacoba Holst. The letters in the collection date from 1934 to 1939 and are preserved...Show moreThis thesis presents an edition of a selection of letters written by Jurriaan Eindhoven and his soon to be wife Jacoba Holst. The letters in the collection date from 1934 to 1939 and are preserved by the Dutch National Dairy Archive. They started writing each other letters because Jurriaan joined the navy and went away for naval training in Vlissingen, while Jacoba lived in Amsterdam. After Jurriaan finished his training, he was sent to the Dutch-Indies. They stopped writing each other in 1939 because Jurriaan missed Jacoba too much and he returned to Amsterdam. This edition contains: an introduction to the collection, a description of the historical context of the letters, a description of the events that happened after they stopped writing, an insight in the personal lives of Jurriaan and Jacoba, a digital analysis of the letters and a transcription of a selection of the letters.Show less
We examine in detail the FAIR Guiding Principles, what they are, why they were created, as well as highlight the difference between Linked Open Data and FAIR. We then give an overview of the...Show moreWe examine in detail the FAIR Guiding Principles, what they are, why they were created, as well as highlight the difference between Linked Open Data and FAIR. We then give an overview of the current environment of humanities scholarship, paying particular attention to the Digital Humanities and book history. We explore some of the reasons that the implementation of FAIR is significantly slower in the Humanities compared to the Sciences or Social Sciences by highlighting some of the challenges faced by humanities scholars in terms of producing and quantifying digital research data that is also easily findable and reusable, while taking time to discuss issues found in all disciplines such as IP, copyright, and privacy laws, as well as issues concerning authenticity, authority, trust, verification, and uncertainty relevant to open-source platforms and digital assets. A case study is then presented using a database that was created using information from the original book catalogue and cashbooks from the Bibliotheca Thysiana, a seventeenth-century library located in Leiden, The Netherlands. After analyzing the quality of the data from the Thysiana based on the requirements of the FAIR Principles, we then utilize the steps in the FAIRification Process by applying each to the database one at a time, highlighting any challenges along the way. Finally, we conclude with thoughts and criticisms on the feasibility of the application of FAIR onto a humanities database, suggesting that it is indeed a guide that can be implemented practically in the field of book history, yet not without some challenges and forethought.Show less
With the help of biographical information, psychology, and linguistics to provide necessary context, this thesis aims to apply different algorithmic textual analyses of Vincent van Gogh’s...Show moreWith the help of biographical information, psychology, and linguistics to provide necessary context, this thesis aims to apply different algorithmic textual analyses of Vincent van Gogh’s correspondence in order to establish a connection between his mental state and the language he uses in his letters.Show less
This research demonstrates and analyses a quantitative approach to literary criticism in the Digital Humanities by predominantly aiming to answer the question: is there a clearly distinguishable...Show moreThis research demonstrates and analyses a quantitative approach to literary criticism in the Digital Humanities by predominantly aiming to answer the question: is there a clearly distinguishable female writing style that is a shared foundation of female author’s novels in the Victorian period? In order to achieve this goal, a number of steps had to be taken. First, a foundation for this research’s case study was established by explaining the socio-cultural history of women writers in the Victorian period and by detailing the history of the Digital Humanities and computational research. Secondly, the compilation of the corpus and the methodology of the case study were elaborately explained and all decisions justified. The predominant terminology – the terms writing style and gender – were clarified as well in order to exclude confusion or multiple interpretations of these elements. Thirdly, the results of the case study were presented and interpreted. Here a conscious decision was made to only discuss these outliers briefly instead of examining them with close reading as this study predominantly focused on similarities instead of abnormalities in writing style between women in the Victorian period. Lastly, the limits of this study were discussed in detail and suggestions for future research were made.Show less
While the use of computational strategies in humanistic inquiry have been discussed extensively, cultural, political and societal aspects of digital humanities tools have not been addressed.This...Show moreWhile the use of computational strategies in humanistic inquiry have been discussed extensively, cultural, political and societal aspects of digital humanities tools have not been addressed.This paper discusses the possibility and necessity of the tool criticism in digital humanities.Show less
