The emergence of Finnish book and reading culture in the 1700s / edited by Cecilia af Forselles, Tuija Laine.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Forselles-Riska, Cecilia af, 1954- editor.

Laine, Tuija, editor.

Series:

Studia Fennica. Litteraria ; Volume 5.

Studia Fennica. Litteria ; Volume 5

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Finnish literature--History and criticism.

Finnish literature.

Finnish literature--18th century--History and criticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (151 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Helsinki, Finland : Finnish Literature Society / SKS, [2011]

Summary:

Book culture has emerged as an extremely dynamic and border-crossing field of research, internationally and in Finland. The editors and most of the writers of this book were members of the organizing and program committees of the 18th Annual Conference of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP), Book Culture from Below, that took place in Helsinki in 2010. This book provides, for the first time in English, an overview of an important epoch in Finnish book and reading history. Besides depicting book culture at the periphery of Europe, it contributes to our understanding of the power of the urbanized European literary world of the 1700s. The new reading culture that emerged in Finland during the 1700s affected readers and all levels of society in many ways. Along with other trends, the arrival of translated fiction and Enlightenment literature from Europe opened and irrevocably altered the Finns' world view. The change was especially pronounced in cities. Scholars, merchants, craftspersons, as well as military officers stationed at Helsinki's offshore Sveaborg fortress, acquired world literature and guides intended for professionals at, for example, book auctions. In this book, researchers from different fields examine the significance and influence of that era's books from cultural, historical, ideological, and social perspectives. What kinds of books did the citizens of Helsinki really buy, loan, and read during the 1700s? What topics and ideas introduced by the new literature were discussed in salons and reading circles? Who were the books' large-scale consumers? Who were the literary opinion leaders of their times? Why did people read? Did the books change their readers' lives?.

Contents:

CECILIA AF FORSELLES & TUIJA LAINE / Introduction

MINNA AHOKAS, CECILIA AF FORSELLES, JYRKI HAKAPÄÄ, TUIJA LAINE, ILKKA MÄKINEN, AND JESSICA PARLAND-VON ESSEN / Book Ownership Sources in Finland During the 1700s

JESSICA PARLAND-VON ESSEN / Book Ownership as a Subject of Cultural-historical Research Helsinkians and Their Books in the 1700s

TUIJA LAINE / The Clergyman as a Book Owner and Distributor in the Provinces of Uusimaa and Häme During the 1700s

JYRKI HAKAPÄÄ / From Popular Law Books to Rarities of Economics Merchants' Professional Literature in the Latter Half of the 1700s in Helsinki

MINNA AHOKAS / Works of Enlightenment Philosophy in Finnish Cities During the 1700s

CECILIA AF FORSELLES / Individualistic Reading Culture Fiction, Historical Works, and Travel Accounts as Literary Genres Enhancing the Development of the Inner Self

ILKKA MÄKINEN / The Breakthrough of Novels and Plays in Helsinki and Finland During the Gustavian Era

List of contributors

Index of persons.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.