Although many scholars in literature currently seem mainly interested in theory, the focus on literary texts is what defines literature studies. Computer technology and the statistical methods it fosters are applicable to both the theoretical and to the interpretative issues which scholars of literature habitually address. Genette's distinction between the homodiegetic and the autodiegetic perspective in first-person narrative can be confirmed statistically. Roquentin's loneliness inLa nausée can be shown to be a formal characteristic of the type of novel he narrates, thus validating his commentary on his society. The computer can be used to deal with standard literary questions in a principled fashion, and a new orientation of literature studies on a cultural history model, which Mark Olsen recommends, is not necessary.