Hõimuvennalik pilk eesti kirjandusele
A Kinsman's View of Estonian Literature

Summary/Abstract: The history of Estonian literature for a Finnish reader Viron nykyisemmästä kirjallisuudesta (Helsinki, 1856) by August Ahlqvist (1826–1889) discusses mainly the first half of the 19th century, adding a brief survey of the earlier period. In comparison with the previous authors of Estonian literary historiography (J. H. Rosenplänter, D. H. Jürgenson) A. Ahlqvist excels for a higher awareness of method and theory, as well as for technical analysis. His ideal is an original, aesthetically and humanistically oriented national literature. Besides literature the work touches upon various issues of Estonian history, linguistics, folklore, poetics, ortography etc., thus providing for a cultural-historical perspective, while the comparativist one is taken care of by references to Finnish literature. Considering the interests of Finnish students of Estonian Ahlquist presents abundant text samples with Finnish translations. Being permeated by a national-romantic spirit and written in a vivid style, Ahlquist's work has influenced several Estonian literary historians of the turn of the 20th century (K. A. Hermann, T. Sander, G. Suits, M. Kampmaa).

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