Dear all, (with apologies for cross-postings) Due to public transport problems because of the wintry weather conditions Dr. Rohrbacher’s talk “Measuring Narrative Space: A Computational Study of German and English Prose Fiction” will take place via zoom only. See all infos below. Starting off the New Year with more food for thought, the Bielefeld research colloquium “LiLi revisited: Digital Interface Research between Literary Studies and Linguistics" (Herrmann) and the Bielefeld “Computational/Digital Linguistics Work Group Meeting” (H. Buschmeier/S. Zarrieß) will host a guest lecture to which I would like to draw your attention: Tuesday, January 13: Dr. Katrin Rohrbacher (Nürnberg/Erlangen): Measuring Narrative Space: A Computational Study of German and English Prose Fiction The lecture is public and can be attended only via zoom. The talk will not be recorded. Dr. Katrin Rohrbacher (Nürnberg/Erlangen): Measuring Narrative Space: A Computational Study of German and English Prose Fiction In this talk, I will present ongoing work on measuring the notion of narrative space using machine learning methods, specifically by fine-tuning BERT-based classification models and applying them to a large collection of German and English historical prose fiction, including both canonical works and non-fiction. Moving from theorization and conceptualization to dataset creation, modeling, analysis, and interpretation, I will outline the steps involved in conducting a computational study of this kind. We will examine results that show how the concepts of “setting” and “lived space” have been used in fiction over time and discuss their implications for “experientiality” and embodiment more broadly, including cross-linguistic perspectives between German and English. The talk also introduces a methodological model for iterative, interpretive “computational reading” that bridges qualitative and quantitative approaches. When: January 13, 2026, 10-12 hs Where: Zoom Zoom link: https://uni-bielefeld.zoom-x.de/j/67280092106?pwd=Zlzqqy980r2N7I1wTktAbbV33t... Meeting-ID: 672 8009 2106 Passwort: 719720 We are looking forward to a vivid discussion! Berenike Herrmann, Hendrik Buschmeier, Sina Zarrieß (DH, CLS, CL, DL) prof. dr. berenike herrmann german literature | digital humanities bielefeld university | faculty of linguistics and literature universitaetsstraße 25 33615 bielefeld germany main building (UHG) U6, office 122 +49 (0)521 106-67194 personal homepage secretary: ms. andrea schrottenloher ([email protected]) office: main building (UHG) U6-135, phone: +49 (0)521 106-3702