Arkivets skjulte forbindelser

Digital humaniora i Pontoppidan-forskningen

Resumé

Abstract
The Archive’s Hidden Connections: Digital Humanities in Pontoppidan Research.

This article presents the results of a Carlsberg Foundation-supported project digitizing the Skjerbæk Archive-an extensive collection of primary and secondary literature on Danish author Henrik Pontoppidan. The archive, resulting from Thorkild and Esther Skjerbæk’s lifelong collecting efforts, has been cataloged in an electronic Zotero library, enabling quantitative analyses of Pontoppidan scholarship. Our findings reveal the distribution of secondary literature over time, showing a resurgence in research from the 1980s onward and the continued dominance of Danish-language publications. Initial citation analyses indicate slightly different research traditions within Pontoppidan studies, with a suggestion of differences in citation patterns between scholars following Klaus P. Mortensen versus those referencing Knut Ahnlund. The project demonstrates how digital approaches can complement traditional close readings and potentially identify overlooked aspects of Pontoppidan’s work, proposing a methodological framework applicable to other authors’ archives.