Melancholic, Joyful, and Outlaw Voices: Finnish Rhymed Couplets and Writers’ Archival Materials

The article explores the importance of writers’ archival materials for the study of the cultural significance of Finnish rhymed couplets in Finnish literature. It demonstrates that the analysis of writers’ notebooks, letters, drafts and other archival materials can contribute to the understanding of the literary use of this particular tradition of folk songs. The writers whose works and archival materials are analysed are two poets, Otto Manninen and Larin-Kyösti, and playwright Artturi Järviluoma. The material dates from the 1890s to the 1910s. The article deals with emotions and meanings of singing that manifest in certain rhymed couplets. The emphasis is on lyrical songs that deal with love and sorrow, longing and joy, as well as prisoner’s songs and “brawl songs”, depicting fights.