Lukkarin Mari

Pehr ThomassonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 45K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Lukkarin Mari by Pehr ThomassonAuthor: Thomasson, Pehr, 1818-1883,Language: Finnish, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Aug 23, 2010

Editor's review

This novel by the Finnish author Pehr Thomasson was published in the nineteenth century and belongs to the tradition of Finnish realist fiction. The title, Lukkarin Mari, points to the world of rural parish readers, and the author uses local narrative to portray the ups and downs of ordinary people's lives. For Chinese readers its value lies first in the documentary and linguistic dimension: it is a primary source for understanding the shape of the early modern Finnish novel and Nordic writing about rural society, and a feasible entry point for Finnish learners to encounter nineteenth-century written Finnish in a real text. The Project Gutenberg edition makes this public-domain work easy to obtain and suits it as supplementary reading for Nordic literary studies and comparative literature courses, or for slow reading by those who know Finnish and are interested in Nordic local history. A caveat: the work is in Finnish, its narrative pace resembles that of nineteenth-century regional fiction, and without relevant background the barrier to entry is high; it is not recommended as light entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Advanced language learners of Finnish who wish to engage with nineteenth-century original texts
Specialist literary readers studying Nordic literature or the early modern Finnish novel
History enthusiasts interested in nineteenth-century Nordic rural society and local history
Researchers needing public-domain foreign-language texts for comparative literature or translation practice

Not a good fit for

General readers without Finnish reading ability who seek only plot-driven pleasure
Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced narrative and lack patience for classical regional subjects
Beginners hoping for a Chinese translation or a heavily annotated edition

Reading tips

Begin by learning about Thomasson's life and the background of nineteenth-century Finnish literature before entering the text.
If your Finnish is limited, read closely chapter by chapter with a dictionary and note local vocabulary.
Read the work alongside Nordic realist novels of the same period and note differences in the portrayal of rural characters.
After every few chapters, review the plot and character relationships so that scattered threads do not lose direction.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What language is this book written in, and can Chinese readers read it directly?

The original is in Finnish, and Project Gutenberg provides a Finnish-language e-book without a Chinese translation. Readers who know Finnish can read it directly; those unfamiliar with Finnish will need a dictionary or a translation for comparison, or they will struggle to follow it.

What is the subject matter and literary standing of this novel?

It belongs to nineteenth-century Finnish regional and realist fiction, centred on the lives of ordinary rural people, with the title character, Lukkarin Mari, at the core of the narrative. It is best understood within the history of the early modern Finnish novel and Nordic rural writing rather than read as a genre novel.

What version issues should I watch for when reading the e-book?

This edition comes from Project Gutenberg's public-domain electronic text and is a free e-book free of copyright restrictions. Readers should note that layout and paragraphing may differ from the printed book; when citing it in research, check page or chapter references against the original and state the electronic source relied on.

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About the author

Pehr Thomasson Author · Swedish · 1818–1883

Pehr Thomasson (1818–1883) was a self-taught Swedish writer and poet, born in Genshö, Blekinge, and died in Stockholm. He wrote poetry, songs, and stories set in Swedish rural life and local custom, in a plain style close to the tastes of ordinary readers. His representative works include Lukkarin Mari and Muutaman työmiehen elämän-vaiheet eli Orjuus Ruotsissa, which were well received by readers of his time, and some were later published in Finnish, showing an influence beyond Swedish. Four of his works are held here, along with Valtiopäivämies eli Kunnianhimo and Rikas tyttö Ruusulaaksossa, reflecting his focus on rural figures and ordinary people's fates. Public information on his life is limited; his literary place rests mainly on his rural poetry and narrative works.