Urbanized Folk Life Multilingual Slang, Gender and New Voices in Finnish Literature

In this chapter, Kukku Melkas explores the multi-voiced novel Wenla Männistö (2014) by Finnish author Riina Katajavuori. The novel is based on a Finnish literary classic, Aleksis Kivi's Seitsemän veljestä (1870; Seven Brothers), which is regarded as the first novel in the Finnish language. Like...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Aesthetics and Politics of Linguistic Borders pp. 263 - 277
Main Author Melkas, Kukku
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 2020
Edition1
Subjects
Female Minor Character
Transnational Author
Swedish Language Schools
Air Hostess
Helsingin Sanomat
Young Man
Arts Promotion Centre Finland
Jag Har
Folk Description
Vice Versa
Spanish Language
Lovely Eve
Girl Characters
Main Characters
Shantih Shantih
Heterolingual Address
Loo Roll
Bechdel Test
Minority Existence
Hakuna Matata
Translational Mimesis
Helsinki Region
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Summary:In this chapter, Kukku Melkas explores the multi-voiced novel Wenla Männistö (2014) by Finnish author Riina Katajavuori. The novel is based on a Finnish literary classic, Aleksis Kivi's Seitsemän veljestä (1870; Seven Brothers), which is regarded as the first novel in the Finnish language. Like its predecessor, the modernized version of the classic relies in its language use on vernacular; folksy; and, in many ways, "improper" language. In contrast to Kivi's novel, Wenla Männistö presents women as the main protagonists, granting them space to be taken seriously and for their voices to be heard. In her analysis, Melkas shows how Wenla Männistö attributes a positive value to the language of the young, suburban, characters. The novel underlines the ways in which language moves and changes in different social and cultural contexts and how language and manners of speaking, power and gender are intertwined in an urban environment.
ISBN:9780367203153
0367203154
DOI:10.4324/9780429260834-15