Literary Impressionism and Finland: A Critical Digest

Abstract

THE AIM OF THIS ARTICLE is to bring into focus concept of Literary within context of Swedish literature Finland. The attempt is to show to what extent critical debate demonstrated an awareness of idea of in literary writing and what aspects of phenomenon this understanding encapsulated. This has been done by undertaking a survey of use of term in literary criticism present in Finsk tidskrift and in Finnish newspapers published in Swedish from approximately 1870 to 1910. (1) By examining critical attitudes toward literary in Finland, I hope to add a piece to greater Scandinavian mosaic that is still being shaped by contributions of scholars who have tried to clarify impact of on Danish, Norwegian, and, even if only partly, Swedish literature. (2) No effort to assess role of in Swedish literature of Finland has so far, to my knowledge, been made. The point of departure is fact that numerous heterodox mannerisms gathered under common heading of impressionist tendencies are part of narrative tradition of nineteenth century. Therefore, discussion here is limited to what Arnold Hauser defined as the age of impressionism (178), that is, years in which impressionist movement was born, bloomed, and spread worldwide. Within context of Swedish literature in Finland, emphasis then is on years 1880-1910. Thus, fixing term in a historical context does not deny fact that can also be seen as an a historical phenomenon present long before anal long after high point of impressionist pictorial movement. Glimpses of a similar approach are evident in journalism that has been taken into account for this article and is also present (at times with what seems to be a provocative intent) within larger context of Scandinavian literary criticism. (3) The choice of anchoring investigation to end of century is dependent upon wish to discover whether writers and critics in Finland shared their Scandinavian colleagues' preoccupation with a concept peculiar to their day, which had been introduced into literary criticism by Ferdinand Brunetiere in 1879 in his famous article L'Impressionnisme dans le roman. The debate had proved vivacious in Norway and in Denmark and, as we will see, included Swedish voices in 1880s arguing in favor of an break-up with academic tradition. Reports from Scandinavian literary scene were frequent in Finnish press at end of nineteenth century. Relevant to this field of research is fact that journalists followed scandal aroused by Christian Krohg's novel Albertine in Norway and reported on foundation and proceedings of Krohg and Hans Jaeger's literary review Impressionisten, on pages of which a singular, bohemian interpretation of literary as a subjective naturalism was proclaimed. (4) The Scandinavian tour of Danish writer Herman Bang, who openly expressed his dissatisfaction with shortcomings of naturalism, reached Helsinki and Turku in 1885 and was covered by press. (5) In material taken into consideration, there is one example of a journalist reporting from Russia on a lecture given by P. Gnedich on subject of in literature. (6) Not surprisingly, however, it was mainly through mediation of Sweden that idea of an impressionistic break with tradition was introduced to literary circles in Swedish Finland. One of Swedish writers capable of articulating impressionistic experience was Gustaf af Geijerstam (1858-1909). (7) The use of concept of in his literary criticism has not, to my knowledge, previously been examined. As Hans Lund points out, Swedish literary historian Nils Erdmann labeled Gustaf af Geijerstam's own writing impressionistic in his study Modern realism, published in 1884, in order to highlight Geijerstam's manner of transmitting ogonblicksintryck (instantaneous impressions) and his use of point of view (49). …