Thesis (doctoral)--Tartu Ülikool, 2006. / Thesis based on nine papers. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Helsingfors. / Bibliography: p. 320-353.

Akademisk avhandling--Helsingfors. / "Arbetets följande delar äro avsedda att upptaga: II. Prosan ... III, Teatern."--Förord, p. v. "Litteraturförteckning": p. [402]-410.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Yale University, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-242).

Thesis (doctoral)--Turun yliopisto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 293-313).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 206-216).

Name: Jitka Hanušová School: Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Department: Institute of Linguistics and Finno-Ugric Studies Title: Charles Darwin and darwinism in Finnish Literature Supervisor: Mgr. Jan Dlask, Ph.D. Number of pagess: 68 Nubmber of characters: 118 580 Keywords: Charles Darwin, darwinism, social darwinism, Finnish Literature, race, heredity, social class This diploma deals with evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin and examines its arrival to Finland, its spreading there and mentions the first references in the Finnish periodicals, public and especially in literature during 1860-1920. The topic is viewed through a cultural-historical context which consists of influences of evolutionary theories, social darwinism, racial theories, heredity research, or distinctions between social classes. The special emphasis is placed on reflections of the main aspects of this context in the Finnish literature, mainly in the works of Minna Canth, T. Pakkala, L. Onerva, Toivo Tarvas and Maila Talvio.

This master's thesis deals with the influence of The Kalevala and the Finnish language on the English writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and his work. The main purpose is to provide a possibly most complex description of The Kalevala's influence on Tolkien. Firstly, the background of The Kalevala, the role of Elias Lönnrot during its birth and its importance, and secondly, Tolkien, his work and his discovery of The Kalevala are introduced. The main part of the thesis focuses on Tolkien's inspiration by The Kalevala out of three different perspectives. The first one is the influence of the Finnish language on Quenya, one of Tolkien's fictional languages. The second one is The Kalevala's importance for Tolkien from a general point of view - especially the influence of Lönnrot's role, The Kalevala's mythology, several abstract aspects of The Kalevala led by the importance of singing and The Kalevala's structure is crucial. The third one is Tolkien's inspiration by The Kalevala from a concrete point of view. Particularly the importance of The Kalevala's character Väinämöinen and the story of the Sampo is significant here.

Abstract Rosa Liksom is one of the most internationally recognized contemporary Finnish authors and leading Finnish postmodernists. Indeed, the postmodernist aesthetics of her works have received most of the academic attention: features such as irony, dark humor, intertextuality, and parody have been convincingly studied. Liksom’s singular public image has been connected to these aesthetics, but although her cosmopolitanism is often mentioned, her postmodern nonconformity has usually been read in a local and a national context. Liksom’s engagement with modernity has been only implicitly and insufficiently explicated. This dissertation focuses on Liksom’s works and public image in the broader historical context of the modern project in its 20th century legacy. The study of Liksom’s engagement with the utopianism of the modern project is paramount to a deeper understanding of the politico-ethical underpinnings of Liksom’s works and image. To examine Liksom’s retrospection of the modern project, this dissertation makes use of a broad range of theoretical approaches, which can be collectively summarized as contextual close reading. The central theoretical framework is Fredric Jameson’s theory of postmodernism. Other important theories are Linda Hutcehon’s theories of postmodernism and irony, Svetlana Boym’s typology of nostalgia, as well as Krishan Kumar’s theory of utopia. This study elucidates the complexity of Liksom’s engagement with the modern project and bestows new importance on the positive, constructive elements of Liksom’s works that have hitherto gained less attention. Liksom’s works try to salvage something from the history of the modern project instead of merely lingering in the negative attempt to deconstruct historical truths and dismantle the very possibility of such truths. Below the irony and criticism of utopianism in Liksom’s artistic ethos runs a mournful undercurrent that broods over the lack of agency and political choices we seem to face in our present historical condition, and a nostalgia that reflects upon the lost utopian potentialities of the past. Liksom’s works suggest this process of mourning may result in a tentative prospect of communion between people and cultures based on an understanding of their shared situatedness in a postmodern, uncertain world. / Tiivistelmä Rosa Liksom on kansainvälisesti tunnetuimpia suomalaisia nykykirjailijoita ja keskeisiä postmodernisteja. Akateeminen kiinnostus onkin keskittynyt ensisijaisesti hänen teostensa postmoderniin estetiikkaan: teosten ironiaa, musta huumoria, intertekstuaalisuutta ja parodiaa on tutkittu ansiokkaasti. Liksomin ainutlaatuinen taiteilijakuva on kytketty tähän estetiikkaan, mutta vaikka hänen kosmopoliittisuutensa usein mainitaankin, hänen postmodernia epäsovinnaisuuttaan on yleensä tulkittu lokaalissa ja kansallisessa viitekehyksessä. Toistaiseksi Liksomin suhdetta modernin ajan ihanteisiin on pohdittu vain välillisesti ja riittämättömästi. Tässä väitöskirjassa Liksomin teoksia ja julkisuuskuvaa käsitellään laajemmassa viitekehyksessä, nimittäin modernin projektin ja sen 1900-luvun perinnön kontekstissa. Ymmärtääksemme Liksomin teosten ja julkisuuskuvan poliittis-eettisiä perustuksia syvällisemmin on välttämätöntä tarkastella hänen suhdettaan moderniin utooppisuuteen. Tässä väitöskirjassa selvitetään monipuolisen teoreettisen välineistön avulla, kuinka Liksom retrospektiivisesti tarkastelee modernin projektia. Teoreettista lähestymistapaa voidaan kutsua kontekstuaaliseksi lähiluvuksi. Keskeinen teoreettinen viitekehys on Fredric Jamesonin postmodernismin teoria. Muita keskeisiä teorioita ovat Linda Hutcheonin teoria postmodernismista ja ironiasta, Svetlana Boymin nostalgian typologia, sekä Krishan Kumarin ja utopia-teoria. Liksomin taiteellisen eetoksen ironisuuden ja utopiakritiikin alla kulkee surumielinen pohjavire, joka pohtii nykyisessä historiallisessa tilanteessa kohtamaamme toimijuuden ja poliittisten vaihtoehtojen puutetta, ja nostalginen pohjavire, joka mietiskelee menetettyjä utooppisia mahdollisuuksia. Liksomin teoksiset antavat ymmärtää, että tämän suruprosessin tuloksena voi olla mahdollisuus löytää ihmisten ja kulttuurien välinen yhteys, joka perustuu ymmärrykseen siitä, että me kaikki paikannumme postmoderniin, epävarmaan maailmaan.

This diploma thesis examines a phenomenon of the contemporary Finnish fantastic literature that seems to conquer the Finnish book market, also crossing the boarders and coming to the Czechia as well - Finnish Weird, or suomikumma. The aim of this work is to determine the reception of the Finnish Weird within the audience of the Czech readers. The theoretical part focuses on the fantastic literature and the position of Finnish Weird in it. The reader-response theory and the term horizon of expectations coined by Hans Robert Jauss provide the interpretation of how readers perceive the fantastic literature and what they expect from it. Works of the Finnish Weird fiction translated in Czech and responses of Czech readers are presented in the main part of the thesis. The research material is based on comments and reviews of the Czech readers published predominantly on the internet and on the internet book databases. Key words: contemporary Finnish literature, reader-response theory, horizon of expectation, genre, science fiction, fantasy, horor, speculative fiction, Weird, New Weird, Finnish Weird