Structual Analysis for an Early Trilogy by Haruki Murakami

Abstract

This study analyzes an early trilogy by Haruki Murakami using measurements for word occurrences and co-occurrences, and constructs word networks for the three novels. We particularly focus on the common character Nezumi throughout the three novels, and analyze the co-occurred words for Nezumi. The results indicate that the frequency with which the name Nezumi appears corresponds strongly to the centrality or peripherality of his role within the novel. Finally, through a systematic comparison of our quantitative methodology to more traditional methodologies within literary studies, we discuss the effectiveness of our approach for literary interpretation.