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FOLKLORE and CONTEMPORARY FINNISH FICTION Finnish Literature

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FOLKLORE and CONTEMPORARY FINNISH FICTION Finnish Literature I~VA PAPP FOLKLORE AND CONTEMPORARY FINNISH FICTION Finnish literature does not have a centuries long past. This fact in itself contains neither condemnation nor praise, but it is important from one point of view. The birth of litera- ture in Finnish vernacular coincides with the struggle for national existence. It explains why research in folklore under- taken in the spirit of romanticism, and especially the Kalevala, this wonderful epic compiled by L6nnrot and printed in the mid- dle of the last century, had a decisive influence of Finnish litera- ture, especially on lyrical poetry. We can find poets in Finnish literature whose poetry is almost based entirely on folklore whether directly or indirectly, and we can find poets, who turned towards folk poetry only at some point in their career in order to make use certain of its motives in form and substance. Naturally folklore has had some influence on Finnish fiction, too, but this influence has been less spectacular and in modified form on contemporary works. Since from its very beginning Finnish literature had had a folk base and has preserved this democratic characteristic in the course of its development, we cannot speak of literary or artistic periods distinguished by works of folklore or folk art, as in the case of Hungarian or Russian literature: rather we can speak of permanent folklorism of varying intensity. We can find a great many folkloristic elements in the comedies of Aleksis Kivi, the father of the Finnish novel, and the heritage of the forefathers of prose in the last century is enjoyed, employed, and enhanced by their succes- sors in their own way. Anu Kaipainen has revived, sung anew, and even created 256 EVA PAPP tales and myths. The writer clings strictly to the ancient con- vention according to which outsiders - whether they be crea- tures from an other world, the angels of Christian mythology, or simply persons outcast for some reason from a community - are able to see the contradictions and faults of this community more clearly than its own members. Accordingly Kaipainen usually chooses "outsiders" as heroes of her novels, persons who deviate from the other members of the community by their inner or outer characteristics. The hero of her novel Archangel in Oulu is Leena, the Schagg family's insane daughter, who is not even allowed to enter the house but is exiled into the sauna and, as she is given food only rarely, she has to fend for herself. On one hand, she is the "outsider" ostracized by the community because of her madness, and thus she becomes a much keener observer than any other member of the community; on the other hand, she is the perennial step-daughter of folk-tales who is hurt and humiliated although she is purer and more humane than any of them, and who is given the justice of folk-tales in the end. Although Leena is rejected by her sisters Ulrikka and Maria, and by her mother and father, yet she is not all alone: along with her is Agnes, who drowned on the day of her wedding; and she has the king to, whom she owes the arrival of Archangel Michael. The king gives direct orders which are carried out by Leena respectfully. The king, the product of mad fantasy plays the ~me function in Kaipainen's novel as the genii of fairy tales who help the hero on his way. Leena is not afraid of the dead and, what more, her only friend is the spirit of the drowned Agnes. Just as in fairy tales the stepdaughter goes to her moth- er's grave to ask for her advice and help, Leena often visits Agnes' grave. Agnes becomes her partner in conversations until the love of Michael and Leena reaches a climax. Leena does not have a stepmother, or more exactly her mother plays this part, so the part of the helpful mother is given to the dead Agnes who can have a peaceful rest only once she knows her daughter happy. But Agnes disappears, and Leena keeps calling on her in .
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