About the Stanford Literary Lab

The Stanford Literary Lab is a research collective that applies computational criticism, in all its forms, to the study of literature. The Lab is open to students and faculty at Stanford, and, on a more ad hoc basis, to those from other institutions.

Our projects range from dissertation chapters to individual and group publications, lectures, courses, panels, and conferences. Typically, our research takes the form of an experiment that is then published in our Pamphlet series. Under Projects you will find the abstracts of our current activities; under People, a list of those associated with our research. And under Techne, our technical blog, we feature posts on our methodologies, both computational and critical.

At the Lab, all research is collaborative, even when the outcome ends up having a single author. We hold frequent group meetings to evaluate the progress of the experiments, the status of existing hypotheses, and the promise (and problems...) of future developments. Most of our meetings are limited to those directly engaged in the research; however, four or five per quarter are open to whomever is interested in our work. If you would like to come, please contact our Coordinator. We welcome all participants, either from Stanford or elsewhere, and at every meeting we are joined by Lab members who attend virtually. Occasionally, we have public presentations of our research, which are announced under Events.

The Literary Lab strives to create an open, collaborative environment that supports the rights, safety, and personal integrity of all of all of those who work in or with the Lab. Our goal is to foster a strong, diverse, and equal community built on mutual interests, understanding and respect. To that end, no unprofessional behavior, harassment or abuse will be tolerated from any member, and we expect all participants to adhere to and further these values. Only in this way will the Lab continue to offer a strong and lasting research community.