AI model categorized classic works to conclude that there is a common structure to the vast majority of classics: could it be the secret recipe for success?
The classics are very distinct from each other. What connects Pride and Prejudice a Hundred Years of Solitude? Apparently nothing. But a team of investigators has managed to realize that there are structures of the (and fasic) work that can be common to almost all.
Leyao Wang of the University of York, Toronto, Canada, and his colleagues analyzed 300 English -speaking novels published between 1909 and 1923. Half of these reached the top 10 of the best -selling list of commercial magazine Publishers Weeklywhich began to be published in 1872.
The other half, as The Mysterious Affair at Styles of Agatha Christie Anne off Avonlea From Lucy Maud Montgomery, she remains popular with Goodread, an application of book assessment.
The team then utilized a fundamental resource to categorize the information: created a AI model.
The model analyzed the complete texts, looking for word use patterns, and concluded that those who were initially bestsellers tended to be longer in total, but they also used more words of conversational recordlike “Yeah”, “oh” and “ok” in English.
These characteristics can make novels relatively easy to read quickly, increasing their immediate appeal. However, this does not happen to the old books that are consumed today.These are shorter, but with longer phrases and more complex words.
The investigators of the published in the Psyarxiv They believe this may mean that they require more attention, which may make them more memorable and even encourage rereading or recommendation to others.
“Although many other factors probably also contribute to timelessness – such as topics, marketing choices or the author’s reputation – we demonstrate that timelessness can be foreseen without taking into account these non -textual influences more obvious ”the investigators explain to.
Understanding the different factors that give a novel a lasting appeal, they believe, “it would be extremely powerful for both publishers and authors.”
