# Could a Computer Program Write Like Ernest Hemingway? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354 "2010-06-15T21:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/1 "2010-06-15T21:47:12Z")
Suppose you wrote a computer program that would analyze the books of Hemingway, and determine the use of words, expressions, and sentence tsructure. Could you then have the program write themes upon certain topics, and have them come out as if Ernest Hemingway actually wrote them? My idea would be to have old Ernest (whatever of him still exists) author new stories, which could be published and sold. Sort of improved “ghostwriting”. Has this everbeen attaempted? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/2 "2010-06-15T23:44:01Z")
Writing is about creativity. Analyzing style and word choice is not creative, it is imitative. Many, many writing programs have been tried. As a fad its time is long gone because people realized we don’t know anything solid about how creativity works. If you can’t even figure it out in humans, you can’t program it into a computer. Will this ever be possible? Who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/3 "2010-06-16T02:55:05Z")
Maybe, but it sure couldn’t fuck the ladies like him… ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/4 "2010-06-16T03:00:39Z")
Something like [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?pagenumber=1&perpage=50&threadid=138905), you mean? > [@](#): > > \*It was very late and everyone had left the hall except an old man who sat in the shadows the leaves of the old Mallorn made against the moonlight. The two elves inside the hall knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he usually was quiet and kept to himself they knew that if he became too drunk he would start setting things on fire, so they kept watch on him. > “He’s drunk,” one elf said. > > “What do you care?” > > “He’s muttering about the secret fire.” > > “Leave him alone. He used to carry a ring.” > > “He’ll stay all night. He should never have been rebodied.” > > The old man rapped on the table with his goblet. The younger elf went over to him. > > “What do you want?” > > The old man looked at him. “Another miruvor.” > > “You’ll be drunk,” the elf said. The old man looked at him. The elf went away. > > “Look at his bushy eyebrows,” he said to his colleague. “There is nothing as nasty as an old Man. He’ll stay all night and I’ll never get any sleep.” > > The elf took the bottle of miruvor from the counter inside the hall and marched to the old man’s table. He poured the goblet full. > > “You should never have been rebodied,” he said to the old man.\* Doesn’t contribute anything to the question, I just like to dredge up one of my favorite threads. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/5 "2010-06-16T04:45:19Z")
Years ago, when I was in college, there was a professor on campus, [Selmer Bringsjord](http://www.rpi.edu/~brings/), who was working on making computers write stories. The two links (both pdf) near the bottom of his page deal with this research, but I can’t really find anything post-1999. He seems to have moved on to other pursuits, or I’m just not looking hard enough. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/6 "2010-06-16T06:55:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Could you then have the program write themes upon certain topics, and have them come out as if Ernest Hemingway actually wrote them? If the stories were upon topics, then that would make them instantly distinguishable from genuine Hemingway. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/7 "2010-06-16T14:14:17Z")
It is an interesting question, but I think that Hemingway was an extremely reactive writer. He found situations and put himself in them. It seems basic but often Hemingway’s reactions were surprising and inconsistent with what might be considered norms. The question would revolve around could the programer feed the situations into the program and allow the program to create in a somewhat inconsistent manner. I tend to say no. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-computer-program-write-like-ernest-hemingway/543354/8 "2010-06-16T23:19:57Z")
Well, there’s the [Kant Generator](http://diveintopython.org/xml_processing/).