Books, dress, and emotions in the memoirs of the clergyman Johan Frosterus(1720–1809)

Abstract

This article investigates the gendered expressions of emotions in regard to experienced material hardship and professional aspirations in the memoirs of a Lutheran clergyman in 18th-century Finland, Johan Frosterus (1720–1809). In his narrative, Frosterus links the material hardship of his parents during the Great Northern War with the material difficulties he himself experienced during his young adulthood. In retrospect, he underlines the lack of books and appropriate clothing that stood in the way of his aspirations to establish himself socially and professionally as a clergyman, eligible both for a clerical position and marriage. Patronage and the emotional and material help through family members, especially Frosterus’ mother, are discussed as central parts of this process. The narrative describes both the emotions linked to the lack of these objects and the social relationships surrounding these status symbols, offering valuable insights into how materiality and emotions interact with constructions of masculinity – and in particular, clerical masculinity – in early modern life writing.