The research project centers on the analysis of the nocturne genre within contemporary Polish and Italian poetry, using a computational approach – specifically topic modeling – as an alternative to traditional genre understanding. Conducted on a self-prepared corpus of Polish and Italian contemporary poetry, the project encompasses a wide range of authors, including both well-known and emerging voices, representing different historical moments as well as literary trends. The study’s focus on less-researched “smaller genres,” and specifically “cross-domain genres” (of which the nocturne is an example) within poetry raises questions about, among other things, the thematic and stylistic determinants shaping these genres in synchronic and diachronic terms. Employing macroanalysis methods, the study aims to compare algorithmic findings with philological interpretations. 

Methodologically, various techniques such as topic modeling, stylometric analysis, and sentiment detection are used to classify and quantify the thematic aspects of the nocturne. The ultimate goal is to create a computational model defining nocturnal texts through quantifiable linguistic features. By means of comparative methods, combining the results of close and distant reading, the research intends to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the nocturne genre and its significance across different authors, periods, and languages. The objective is to unveil the nocturne’s characteristics and variations, relating to associations with specific themes, motifs, stylistic features, and determinants of place and time.