I typed a simple question into ChatGPT. I asked: How might using literary data in one’s reading enhance their reading experience? And how might it inhibit their reading? In about …

As a high school English teacher, I taught Homer’s Odyssey every year. I loved it. Like song lyrics, which they were, Homer’s lines were best when read aloud. Without fail, …

Take all three books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Count every single word. Next, filter by the names of the Fellowship members: Aragorn, Boromir, Frodo, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, …

I’m on a bit of a Harry Potter trip at the moment. For this project, I explored spells in the book series. To identify the top spells, I referred to …

I am in the home stretch of reading the final volume of the Harry Potter book series with my son. We have loved reading (or listening) to the books over …

If we’ve worked together you know I like me a visual. There are simply things that are better conveyed via spatial modes of communication than sequential modes (like writing). You …

We can use numbers to better understand literature. That’s right: there are fruitful ways for readers to deepen their analysis of books that are computational and quantitative. Doing so can …

Nothing says nerd like desperately downloading a new BBC show about algorithms to one’s phone just before the subway goes into a prolonged stretch with no cell service. But that’s …

The main character in Hell of a Book by Jason Mott, an unnamed famous writer whom I refer to as The Author, is as uncommitted to moral principles as he …

With its wildly popular miniseries now out, Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations with Friends is attracting hoards of new readers. The book tells the story of Frances as she uncovers what …

It’s that time of year again when the Ides of March are upon us once again. Dusting off my copy of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, I was eager to do a …

Keyboards are literally where human beings communicate with computers. Considering how ubiquitous they are, it is odd that many of us don’t know why keyboards are so chaotically arranged. Well, …

I’ll keep this quick: This interactive visualization about lyrics from the musical Hamilton is off the chain. The genius behind it, Shirley Wu, explains her dive into language and quantification …

This season, I offer a range of books from young adult literature requested by ELA teachers in Colorado to an opaque classic epic poem to books I read as part …

For all you number lovers out there, check out this fantastic interactive article that lets readers create their own digital heart using algebra. Here’s a sample: Like many geometric figures, …

For years now, I have occasionally seen 19th century data visualizations attributed to W.E.B. Du Bois. Always struck by them for their content (data about “the African diaspora in America“) …

A few years ago, on a visit to the Tolkien exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum, I was fascinated to see process documents related to Lord of the Rings …

Here on Plotting Plots, I try to make the case that computationality and the humanities go hand in hand. Not just for literature, but in music too. While watching the …

First-time readers of Paradise Lost are often surprised by how relatable Milton’s Satan is. Seriously, it is jarring to realize how vehemently one can find oneself nodding along in agreement–with …

BardBots is a project in which students are introduced to key concepts in computational thinking via an unlikely combination: Shakespeare and robots.  I believe that the distance between the humanities, …