SERMONIC FUGUES EVALUATED IN A THEMATIC COLLECTION OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HOMILETICAL RESPONSES TO THE 9/11 TRAGEDY USING DISTANT READING ANALYTICS

Abstract

This dissertation project introduces and evaluates the coined rhetorical/homiletical concept of the sermonic fugue. The term is an expanded adaptation of the musico-literary fugue principally in the context of thematic collections and homiletical analytics. It defines recurring—common or contrasting—rhetorical patterns presenting themselves particularly within multiple sermons. This research critiques the sermonic fugue against a select collection of African-American homiletical responses to the 9/11 tragedy. The evaluation is further conducted using distant reading and topic modeling analytics to identify the presence and notable patterns of sermonic fugues within the collection. The methodology of the research is performed in phases which involved collecting select sermons preached in September 2001, conducting appropriate computational analytics, constructing relevant datasets, and conveying the findings of the research through data visualizations and narrative storytelling.