Machines & Meaning · Capstone brief
HUM-07 · Close reading vs. distant reading
Run a simple distant-reading pass, then return to close reading — show what each method cannot see.
The question
Run a simple distant-reading pass, then return to close reading — show what each method cannot see.
Texts / materials
Corpus from HUM-02 or teacher-provided. One simple distant method (word frequencies, n-grams, topic-lite — no black-box mystery). Close reading of passages the distant pass flagged and passages it missed. Non-claim list about meaning.
Expected failure modes
Distant charts with no return to text. Close reading that ignores the distant findings. Claiming the chart interprets the novel.
Done looks like
Distant appendix; close readings; “blind spots” section for each method; integrated essay claim that stays inside evidence.
Five C's
CT: method complementarity. CR: return to text. CO: peer finds a missed passage. CM: blind-spot section. CZ: authors flattened by distant metrics.
Mentor role
Literature teacher reviews the return-to-text section. School-supervised.
Rubric calibration
R1: one corpus, two methods. R2: distant steps reproducible. R3: each method’s blind spot named. R4: overclaim risks listed. R5: essay integrated. R6: meaning non-claims.
Two ways this goes wrong
(a) Wordcloud essay. (b) Close reading that never mentions the computation.
Credit lane fit
Lane A immediately. No verified credit claim.