This document discusses how descriptions of emotions in medieval verse romances can be analyzed computationally. It finds that: 1) Emotions are typically described through their effects on characters in response to environmental stimuli. 2) Descriptions often include somatic responses alongside emotion words. 3) Networks of co-occurring emotion words emerge that underlie the narrative. 4) Characters experience mirrored or opposing emotions to drive the plot and influence the audience. Analyzing co-occurrence can map the integrated lexical network of a work's emotional dimension. Textual variations also reveal how redactors shaped emotional perspectives. Tables and graphs of character-emotion analysis in a romance were presented as an example.

1. Graph Theory, Characters and Emotions in
Chrétien’s Chevalier de la Charrette
Sul ruolo dell’informatica nell’edizione e nell’attribuzione dei testi
Roma Tre, Università degli Studi, June 9 2015
Anatole Pierre Fuksas
Università di Cassino

2. Emotions, Decisions and Actions
Human actions are understood as
purposeful and intentional because
they rely on an emotional appraisal
of the environmental circumstances
they respond to [1]. Indeed, actions
can not be addressed as purposeful
and intentional if their emotional
fueling is lacking or unclear.
Consequently, the intelligence of a
text requires readers to recognize
and properly process emotional
correlates of a described sensory
experience and/or the interceptive
modulations [2] which necessarily
underlay the planning of purposeful
actions [3, 4, 5, 6].
1) A. Damasio, Looking for Spinoza. Joy, Sorrow, and the
Feeling Brain, Orlando (FL), Harcourt, 2003.
2) A. D. Craig, “How do you feel? Interoception: the sense
of the physiological condition of the body”, Nature Review
Neuroscience 3 (2002), 655-666.
3) A. M. Glenberg, D. A. Havas, R. Becker and M. Rinck,
“Grounding language in bodily states: The case for
emotion”, The grounding of cognition: The role of
perception and action in memory, language, and thinking,
eds. R. Zwaan and D. Pecher (Cambridge 2005), 115-128.
4) A. M. Glenberg, B J. Webster, E. Mouilso, D. Havas and
L. M. Lindeman, “Gender, Emotion, and the Embodiment
of Language Comprehension”, Emotion Review 1 (2009),
151-161, 151.
5) A. Havas, A. M. Glenberg and M. Rinck, “Emotion
simulation during language comprehension”, Psychonomic
Bulletin & Review 14 (2007), 436-441, 436.
6) A. P. Fuksas, “Embodied Abstraction and Emotional
Resonance in Chrétien's Chevalier de la Charrette”,
Cognitive Philology, 4 (2011), 1-14
(http://ojs.uniroma1.it/index.php/cogphil/article/view/96
00).

3. The Emergent Network
The research plan aims at identifying the lexical network which describes the
emotional system of a novel. The emotion-word peor/poor, mostly referring to
proper “fear”, will be assumed as the cornerstone of a semantic network
emerging from co-occurrence. Various degrees of syntactic proximity, such as
connections based on boolean operators or concurrence in same
sentence/phrase, will be considered as an index of semantic proximity, being
possible to use two or more words in the very same context. Relevance of co-
occurrence will be ranked on the basis of encyclopedic competence (essentially
dictionary). The system will progressively include all relevant words co-
occurring with those which have been previously acquired.
J. E. Ledoux, “ The Emotional Brain, Fear and the Amigdala”, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology 23, 4-5 (2003),
727-738.
J. E. Ledoux, The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life (New York 1998).

4. Fear, Rage and Trembling
Chevalier de la Charrette
vv. 2732-2739
Li chevaliers de la charrete
De malvestié se blasme et rete
Quant son oste voit qui l'esgarde;
Et des autres se reprant garde
Qui l'esgardoient tuit ansanble.
D'ire trestoz li cors li tranble,
Qu'il deüst, ce li est avis,
Avoir molt grant pieç'a conquis
Celui qui a lui se conbat.
.
Chrétien de Troyes, Le chevalier de la Charrette (Lancelot), eds. A. Foulet and K. Uitti (Paris 1989), p. 154 and 172.
vv. 3046-3054
Ce fesoit molt desconforter
Les deus chevaliers qui estoient
Avoec le tierz, que il cuidoient
Que dui lÿon ou dui liepart
Au chief del pont de l'autre part
Fussent lïé a un perron.
L'eve e li ponz et li lÿon
Les metent an itel freor
Qu'il tranblent andui de peor.

5. Protagonists, Mirror Characters,
Somatic Markers
The verb trambler doesn’t occur
elsewhere throughout the romance.
Hence, it just describes the mentioned
pair of somatic responses to ire and peor.
Ire causing Lancelot to tremble indicates
an emotional state which directly targets
the body of the protagonist, prompting
him to action. Peor freezing the young
companions of the hero targets a pair of
«mirror characters» whose emotional
response to specific circumstances likely
aims at enticing the audience to react
accordingly.
C. Larrington, “The psychology of emotion and study of
the medieval period”, Early Medieval Europe 10 (2001),
251–256, 254.
F. Brandsma, “Mirror characters”, in Courtly Arts and the
Art of Courtliness, ed. K. Busby and C. Kleinhenz
(Woodbridge 2006) 275-284.
F. Brandsma, “Arthurian Emotions”, Actes du 22e Congrès
de la Société Internationale Arthurienne (Rennes 2008),
http://www.uhb.fr/alc/ias/actes/index.htm, 15 juillet,
session 2 L2: Conte di Graal et émotions.

6. The Database
Since verb trambler makes it possible to bridge peor and ire, we start
describing all occurrences of these nouns. We will do the same with all co-
occurring emotion-words which we find, until all relevant lexical entries will
be collected indexed.

7. Tabling Emotions
Co-occurring
words are
ranged in
strings; each
line indicates
the specific
contexts in
which they
appear.

8. Graphing Emotions
Graphic processing of the
table visualizes the
discussed part of the lexical
network. Red lines indicate
descriptions of emotional
states which include
somatic markers.

9. Tagging Emotions
Chevalier de la Charrette vv. 3920-3941
@Lancelot tuit beneïssoient:
Et ce pöez vos bien savoir
Que lors i dut grant #joie avoir,
Et si ot il sanz nule dote.
@La_genz_estrange asanble tote,
Que de @Lancelot font grant #joie,
Et dïent tuit por ce qu'il l'oie:
«Sire, voir, molt nos #esjoïsmes
Tantost con nomer vos oïsmes,
Que seür fumes a delivre
C'or serions nos tuit delivre.»
A cele #joie ot molt grant presse
Que chascuns se #painne et #angresse
Comant il puisse a lui tochier.
Cil qui plus s'an puet aprochier
An fu plus #liez que ne pot dire.
Assez ot la et #joie et #ire,
Que cil qui sont desprisoné
Sont tuit a #joie abandoné;
Mes @Meliaganz et @li_suen
N'ont nule chose de lor buen,
Einz sont #pansif et #mat et #morne.
A twitter-like hashtag/mention
tagging system (# and @) might
facilitate the processing of specific
sub-systems emerging from the
description of individual emotional
responses to environmental
circumstances.
P. Bogdanov, M. Busch, J. Moehlis, A. K. Singh and B.K.
Szymanski, “The Social Media Genome: Modeling Individual
Topic-Specific Behavior in Social Media”, arXiv: 1307.0309
v1(2013) (http://arxiv.org/abs/1307.0309).

10. Descriptions of emotions do not necessarily
require the use of emotion words. In some cases
characters experience undefined affective states,
whose description just features somatic
responses to specific environmental conditions
(both natural or social, of course).
For instance, the revelation of the damsel, who
informs Lancelot that both the comb and the
hair belong to queen Guenièvre, causes the
knight to experience a state of overwhelming
upheaval. The description only focuses on
somatic correlates and ensuing actions: after
bending on the saddle, Lancelot grabs the
pommel so as to avoid falling off the horse
(vv.1420-1444).
Chrétien de Troyes, Le chevalier de la Charrette (Lancelot), cit., pp. 82-84
“Undefined” Emotions
--Trop a certes m’an apelez,
Fet ele, si le vos dirai,
De rien nule n’an mantirai :
Cist peignes, se j’onques soi rien,
Fu la reïne, jel sai bien ;
Et d’une chose me creez,
Que li chevol que vos veez
Si biax, si clers et si luisanz,
Qui sont remés antre les danz,
Que del chief la reïne furent :
Onques en autre pré ne crurent.»
Et li chevaliers dit : «Par foi,
Assez sont reïnes et roi ;
Mes de la quel volez vos dire?»
Et cele dit : «Par ma foi, sire,
De la fame le roi Artu.»
Quant cil l’ot, n’a tant de vertu
Que tot nel coveigne ploier ;
Par force l’estut apoier
Devant a l’arçon de la sele
Et quant ce vit la dameisele,
Si s’an mervoille et esbaïst
Qu’ele cuida que il cheïst ;
S’ele ot peor, ne l’en blasmez,
Qu’ele cuida qu’il fust pasmez

11. Erec approaches the adventure of the Joie de la
Cort and the mervoille showing in front of him
presents the heads of the defeated knights
hanging from pegs (5764-5782). From the last
peg, still awaiting the next victim, hangs a horn
which the winner, if any, will be required to blow
after he defeats the giant defending the garden.
Interestingly, «s’an effrie» at verse 5788 is a
singularis reading of Guiot’s manuscript (BNF,
fr. 794, c. 22 v., col. B). The other manuscripts
have «ne se detrie».
Chrétien de Troyes, Erec et Enide, a c. di. P. F. Dembowski, in Oeuvres complètes, a c. di D. Poirion, Anne Berthelot, P.F.
Dembowski, S. Lefèvre et al., Gallimard, Paris, pp. 1-169, p. 141.
Emotion Words and Textual Variation 1

12. Calogrenant is retelling the story of his failed
adventure. Before encountering the guardian des
bêtes, he meets the bêtes themselves, whose
nature changes according to different readings:
H 280 Tors salvages ors et lieparz
P 280 Tors sauvages et esparars
V 280 Torz sauvages et espaarz
F 280 Et tors savages et lupars
G 280 Trois ors sauvages et .i. liepart
A 280 Ors sauvages lions lupars
S 280 Tors sauvaiges ours et lupars
R 280 Et tors salvages et lupars
Interestingly, AG do not mention bulls which scare
the knight, causing him to step back (v. 285). More
interestingly indeed, Guiot (H) does not mention
fear as the cause of Calogrenant’s awkward move.
K. Meyer, Transcription synoptique des manuscrits et fragments du Chevalier au Lion par Chrétien de Troyes,
Université d’Ottawa, Faculté des Arts, Laboratoire de français ancien
(http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/lfa/activites/textes/kmeyer/kpres.html)
Emotion Words and Textual Variation 2

13. What do We find?
1) emotional states described in medieval verse romance are typically attributed to specific characters in response to
perceptual interaction with their natural and/or social environment;
2) descriptions of affective states are typically supplemented by additional remarks stressing somatic correlates of
emotions;
3) descriptions of specific affective states do not imply fixed reference to specific somatic correlates.
4) emotional states affecting characters are sometimes described only on the basis of the somatic correlates they imply;
5) descriptions of affective states and ensuing actions are typically related and often connected by causal prepositions
and conjunctions;
6) the development of character-specific affective states is regulated by meaningful transitions, specific perceptual
events being responsible for the change from an affective state to another.
7) a multilayered emotional perspective emerges from descriptions which present frequent transitions from the affective
state of a character to that of another and often imply first or second-level theory of mind;
8) as suggested by Frank Brandsma, ‘mirror characters’ are described as reacting to specific environmental
circumstances in a way which most likely aims at influencing the audience to react accordingly;
9) sometimes affective states manifested by mirror characters are intentionally opposite to those affecting leading
characters, so as to qualify the latter as exceptional;
10) the same environmental circumstances may trigger opposite affective responses in different characters or groups;
11) emotion words are occasionally included in counterfactual and semifactual descriptions of affective states;
12) co-occurrence of emotion words defines an integrated lexical network which underlies the romance’s emotional
dimension;
13) some emotion words co-occur on a regular basis so as to constitute descriptive patterns referring to twofold (or
multiple) affective states;
14) subsets of emotional responses specifically pertain to specific classes of characters;
15) descriptions of emotional states not only differ on the basis of gender, age, rank, or are consistent with the social
roles of affected characters, but also define their individual temperaments and identities;
16) recurrent descriptions of specific emotions may define linear paths which underlie the romance’s main thematic
drives;
17) medieval redactors interfere with the emotional tone of specific episodes by adopting textual solutions which reflect
their own understanding of the reason why characters act the way they do.

14. Additional findings: “matching” narrative
perspectives and comparisons
Chevalier au Lion
vv. 960-967
Mout angosseus et entreprins
Remest dedens la sale enclos,
Qui tout estoit chele a clos
Dorés et paintes les masieres
De boine oevre et de couleurs chieres.
Mais de riens si grant duel n'avoit
Con de che quë il ne savoit
Quel part chil en estoit alés.
vv. 3634-3637
Ma vie et mon cors me sauvastes
Entre les deux portes coulans,
Lau je fui pensis et dolans
Et angosseus et entreprins.
Chrétien describes Yvain as anxious and
imprisoned in Laudine’s castle, after he killed
Esclados. Around 3000 verses later the protagonist
uses the same words while retrospectively
describing himself to Lunete (and of course he
expands adding some other adjectives, such as
pensis and dolans), when he encounters her again
after he failed to commit suicide.
Interestingly, Chrétien often provides the reader
and the audience with some comparisons between
the emotions which characters are actually feeling
in the narrative present and previous or
forthcoming affective states they experienced or
are about to experience

15. Characters and Emotions
The following tables show the
emotions which some characters
from Chrétien’s Chevalier de la
Charrette actually feel, openly do
not feel, would, will or won’t feel
according to the descriptions
provided by the storyteller,
together with those that other
characters speculate they are or
aren’t feeling and those that they
just simulate. That’s what we
obtain after lemmatizing the
entries on an lexical basis
(etymological lemmatization will
be the next step).
Semifactual descriptions of
emotions are equated to
descriptions of actual affective
states, since they refer to feelings
which would have been felt in
different conditions.
Counterfactual descriptions are
rather specified as _NEG, because
they refer to the feelings which are
not felt at all.

16. Lancelot – Emotion Words

17. Lancelot’s Emotions - Cloud

18. Lancelot Emotions - Graph
This is what you would do if
informatics were unavailable.
Essentially you would try to
connect all the words in a graph
which would get more and more
complex till the point you wouldn’t
be anymore able to make sense of
what you’re doing.

19. Lancelot Emotions - Graph
This is what you get after you encode the emotion words in a file such as
previously shown and opening it into graphviz

20. Lancelot Emotions - Graph
The few emotion words which are isolated from the main graph would be
easily connected after the next step in lemmatization. Indeed, they are
negative occurrences of connected words or verbs which are
etymologically related to connected nouns.

21. Meleagant’s Emotions

22. Meleagant’s Emotions - Cloud

23. The affective states of the “bad guy” are often described from his father’s
point of view. Bademagu explains to others what his son is actually feeling
and why and provides his son information on the affective implications of
decisions he would eventually take or not.
Meleagant’s Emotions - Graph

24. Meleagant’s Emotions - Graph
Meleagant affective states are mostly “negative” and the graph shows that
ire is clearly the key-node, and can be interpreted as the character “thematic
emotion”.

25. Good Guy/Bad Guy: Common feelings
The words describing emotional states which are
common to both characters are:
11 on 31 words which contribute to the
description of Meleagant’s affective states
are also used in the description of
Lancelot’s emotions. About 1/3.

26. Guenièvre - Emotion Words
Guenièvre is by far the
more complex
character after
Lancelot in terms of
the variety of words
which contribute to
the description of her
feelings.
Moreover, together
with lancelot, she is
the only character
whose emotional
states are also
presented via
allegorical
description.

27. Guenièvre’s Emotions - Cloud

28. Guenièvre’s Emotions - Graph
As shown in the case of the protagonist, more complexity does not imply more
fragmentation. The lexical network looks fully integrated indeed.

29. Male leading/Female Leading:
Common feelings
41 on 69 words contributing to the
description of Guenièvre’s
affective states are also used in
the description of Lancelot’s
emotions. More than ½, near 2/3.
Among the words which describe
both the emotional states of
Lancelot and Guenièvre all the
more recurrent give a match, but
honor (male leading) and the
circumlocutions for silent,
speechless, unspeaking (female
leading).