This article suggests a computational method for the analysis of figurative language as a network, using methods from natural language processing (NLP), particularly topic classification and network analysis. The analysis of figurative language plays a major role in literary criticism and, to varying degrees, in other fields of the humanities and social sciences whose orientation is textual. The analysis of figurative language, rather than literal language, poses certain difficulties due to the very structure of figurative expressions. The suggested method in this articles offers a way to overcome these difficulties. By taking as a case study the play Timon of Athens by Shakespeare and Middleton, the article examines the method's ability to provide insights into the thematic concerns of a text, assess existing interpretations, and develop a close reading.
Gilad Gutman (Fri,) studied this question.