EDNote: Don Johnson has uncovered a rather hilarious "text analysis" feature on Amazon. The results it provides for Lolita suggest that the novel is of about average difficulty, with fewer "complex" words and more one-syllable words than the typical novel. Its sentences are longer than the average (no surprise). Unfortunately, the analysis does not quantify the complexity of the ideas treated in a work...... (there was a graphical version attached, but it would not forward properly, and it might get stuck in some subscribers' filter-rules, so I omit it).

Subject:

Fw: LOLITA review (from Amazon's Text Stats)

From:

"D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net>

Date:

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 20:24:49 -0800

To:

<nabokv-l@listserv.ucsb.edu>

Text Stats 
      Readability (learn more)  Compared with other books (learn more)  
      Fog Index:  13.1   Easier 
            This book has a Fog Index of 13.1
            A higher Fog Index means a book is more difficult to read

            51% of books are easier to read
            49% of books are harder to read   
            This book has a Fog Index of 13.1
            A higher Fog Index means a book is more difficult to read

            51% of books are easier to read
            49% of books are harder to read  
      Harder 
      Flesch Index:  53.7   Easier 
            This book has a Flesch Index of 53.7
            A higher Flesch Index means a book is easier to read

            44% of books are easier to read
            56% of books are harder to read   
            This book has a Flesch Index of 53.7
            A higher Flesch Index means a book is easier to read

            44% of books are easier to read
            56% of books are harder to read  
      Harder 
      Flesch-Kincaid Index:  11.1   Easier 
            This book has a Flesch-Kincaid Index of 11.1
            A higher Flesch-Kincaid Index means a book is more difficult to read

            58% of books are easier to read
            42% of books are harder to read   
            This book has a Flesch-Kincaid Index of 11.1
            A higher Flesch-Kincaid Index means a book is more difficult to read

            58% of books are easier to read
            42% of books are harder to read  
      Harder 
          
      Complexity (learn more)    
      Complex Words:  11%   Fewer 
            11% of words in this book are complex.

            32% of books have a smaller percentage of complex words
            68% of books have a larger percentage of complex words   
            11% of words in this book are complex.

            32% of books have a smaller percentage of complex words
            68% of books have a larger percentage of complex words  
      More 
      Syllables per Word:  1.6   Fewer 
            This book has, on average, 1.6 syllables per word.

            37% of books have fewer syllables per word
            63% of books have more syllables per word   
            This book has, on average, 1.6 syllables per word.

            37% of books have fewer syllables per word
            63% of books have more syllables per word  
      More 
      Words per Sentence:  21.6   Fewer 
            This book has, on average, 21.6 words per sentence.

            79% of books have fewer words per sentence
            21% of books have more words per sentence   
            This book has, on average, 21.6 words per sentence.

            79% of books have fewer words per sentence
            21% of books have more words per sentence  
      More 
          
      Number of    
      Characters:  645,840   Fewer 
            This book has 645,840 characters

            74% of books have fewer characters
            26% of books have more characters   
            This book has 645,840 characters

            74% of books have fewer characters
            26% of books have more characters  
      More 
      Words:  112,538   Fewer 
            This book has 112,538 words

            79% of books have fewer words
            21% of books have more words   
            This book has 112,538 words

            79% of books have fewer words
            21% of books have more words  
      More 
      Sentences:  5,204   Fewer 
            This book has 5,204 sentences

            66% of books have fewer sentences
            34% of books have more sentences   
            This book has 5,204 sentences

            66% of books have fewer sentences
            34% of books have more sentences  
      More 
          
      Fun stats

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