Can a writer disguise a gender under

pseudonyms? James Tiptree, Jr. and

Raccoona Sheldon.
IGALA 9 at City University of Hong Kong, 2016/5/20
Meiji University, Ph.D. Student
Miki Kimura

Todays Presentation
1. Introduction to Stylometry
2. Literary Criticism for James Tiptree, Jr.
3. Results from Statistical Analysis
4. Conclusions

[1-1] What is Stylometry?

Stylometry
The use of statistical methods to analyze the literary style
of a piece of writing. (Macmillan Dictionary Online)
The technique of making statistical analyses of the
features of a literary style, esp. by means of a computer.
(The OED Online)

[1-2a] Previous Studies

Mendenhall (1901)
Shakespeare = Bacon

Brinegar (1963)
Mark Twain the author of the Q. C. S. letters

Mosteller and Wallace (1964)

Author verification of Federalist Papers

[1-2b] Previous Studies

Burrows (1987)
Intra-authorial Variations in Jane Austens Texts

Jin, Kabashima, and Murakami (1993)

Intra-authorial variations in a Japanese Authors Texts

Juola (2013)
J. K. Rowling = Robert Galbraith cf. Kimura and Kubota (2015)

[1-2c] Previous Studies

From Kimura and Kubota (2015)
Non-Fantasy novels
(Works by Robert
Galbraith & CV)

Fantasy novels
(Harry Potter Series)

[2-1] What is James Tiptree, Jr.?

Who is She?
Name
Alice Bradley Sheldon
(1915/8/24 - 1987/5/19)
Pen Names
James Tiptree, Jr. (1967~)

Raccoona Sheldon (1972~)

[2-2a]
Reasons for Hiding Her True Identity
The first was that I wanted to conceal my writing from my
colleagues in the university. (I am a retired experimental
psychologist.)

Secondlyand mainlyI was sure the first stories wouldnt sell. I

was prepared to spend the traditional five years of papering the
walls with rejection slips
I intended to try different name with each submission.
Sheldon (1986: 389-390)

[2-2b]
Reason for Using the Female Pen Name
A few violently prowoman ideas came to me,
and I saw that they were simply noncredible
under a mans name, so I invented a female
pseudonym (Raccoona Sheldon) for these.
Sheldon (1986: 390)

[2-2c] Talking about Sexuality

I always told the plain truth about myself in my letters;
my bibliography is ambisexualArmy, government,
academe.
And I stood ashamed before the woman writers who had
used their own female names in cracking the
predominantly male world of SF. I had taken the easy
path.
Sheldon (1986: 390-391)

[2-3a] (Before Revealing)

Literary Criticisms for James Tiptree Jr.
Silverberg. (1975: ) I find absurd, for there is to me
something ineluctably masculine about Tiptrees writing.
I dont think the novels of Jane Austen could have been
written by a man nor the stories of Ernest Hemingway by
a woman, and in the same way I believe the author of the
James Tiptree stories is male.

[2-3a] (Before Revealing)

Literary Criticisms for James Tiptree Jr.
Silverberg. (1975: ) So, then, James
Tiptreea man of 50 or 55, I guess, possibly
unmarried, fond of outdoor life, restless in his
everyday existence, a man who has seen much of
the world and understands it.

[2-3b] (After Revealing)

Literary Criticisms for James Tiptree Jr.
Raccoona, I think, has less control, thus less wit
and power. She seem a good deal younger than
Tip. Le Guin (1976)

The masculine manner of Tiptrees style is

cunning contrivance. Lefanu (1989)

[2-3b] (After Revealing)

Literary Criticisms for James Tiptree Jr.
Kotani (1994: 53)
There is a comparison of James Tiptree with Ernest Hemingway
and the description of the masculinity of Tiptrees manner of
writing.

Kotani (1999: 84)

There is the intra-authorial variation in Alice Sheldons texts after
revealing her true identity.

Intra-authorial
Variations in
Alice Sheldons Texts

[3-1a] Cluster Analysis

[3-1b] Principal Component Analysis

[3-1d] Discriminant Analysis

Classification Accuracy

Table 1

79.17%
Cpro = 87.08 %
Cmax = 93.06 %

Tiptree

Raccoona

Tiptree

55

12

Raccoona

[3-1e] Support Vector Machines

Classification Accuracy

Table 2

93.06%
Cpro = 87.08 %
Cmax = 93.06 %

Tiptree Raccoona
Tiptree

67

Raccoona

Inter-authorial Variations
Comparison between
Alice Sheldon and Ernest Hemingway

[3-2a] Cluster Analysis

Ernest
Hemingways
works

[3-2b] Principal Component Analysis

Alice Sheldons
Works

Ernest
Hemingways
Works

[3-2c] Principal Component Analysis

[3-2d] Discriminant Analysis

Classification Accuracy

Table 3

93.66%
Cpro = 46.69 %
Cmax = 49.30 %
Cpro 1.25 = 58.36 %

Hemingway

Tiptree

Raccoona

Hemingway

70

Tiptree

63

Raccoona

[3-2e] Support Vector Machines

Classification Accuracy

Table 4

96.49%
Cpro = 46.69 %

Hemingway Tiptree

Raccoona

Hemingway

70

Tiptree

67

Raccoona

Cmax = 49.30 %
Cpro 1.25 = 58.36 %

Conclusions
On intra-authorial variation in Alice Sheldons texts
Statistical analyses cannot detect the difference between works

written by James Tiptree and works by Raccoona Sheldon.

On inter-authorial variation in Alice Sheldons texts and Ernest Hemingways
texts

Statistical analyses can detect the difference between written by Alice

Sheldon and works by Ernest Hemingway.

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