Abstract
The Affective Reception of Tytti Heikkinen’s Poem “Ryhävalaan tasoa” In this article, I analyze the reception of Tytti Heikkinen’s poem ”Ryhävalaan tasoa” (”On par with whales”) from the viewpoint of affectivity. ”Ryhävalaan tasoa” is a Flarf poem which means that it has been made of material found from the internet with weird search terms. Flarf poetry is also based on a kind of aesthetics of ugliness. The poem is a dramatic monologue in which the speaking I – a girl called ”Fatty XL” – talks unrestrainedly and vulgarly about fatness, sexuality and shame. Theoretically, the article relies mainly on Rita Felski’s and Sianne Ngai’s views on affectivity of reading. The research material consists of 41 essays written by literature students. The article shows that affectivity has a central role in the reception of the poem. Focusing on the feelings aroused by the poem reveals the profoundly political nature of the poem. The readers are strongly influenced by its content and form as well as the procedure by which the poem has been made.
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