How Topelius shaped the Finnish identity

The novel "The Surgeon’s Stories" (Fältskärns berättelser, Välskärin kertomukset) by Zacharias Topelius has had a significant influence on the way people in Finland, and in Sweden, have come to understand their history. In the novel, the Lutheran faith has a key role in the depiction of Finland as an emerging nation. Lutheranism provides a model for the organization of society, but also dictates which religious minorities are excluded. This is shown in a new thesis in Church History by Erika Boije.

How was Finland imagined as a nation after 1809? In a new doctoral thesis, Erika Boije explores this question through the prism of the historical novel The Surgeon’s Stories (Fältskärns berättelser) by Finnish author, historian, and journalist Zacharias Topelius (1818–1898). In this multi-volume fictional work, Topelius describes the shared history of Finland and Sweden from the Swedish Empire of the early 17th century until the Age of Liberty in the late 18th century by focusing on two Finnish families that, in different ways, shape the nation of Finland. Topelius was inspired by the British author Sir Walter Scott, who used his historical novels as a nation-building instrument. The Surgeon’s Stories has been described as a major work in Finnish literary history.

Society was organized in line with the Lutheran faith

In her thesis, Boije makes one of the most thorough analyses to date of the religious dimensions of The Surgeon’s Stories. Her study shows that the Lutheran faith is accorded a key role in the depiction of the emerging nation. Among other functions, Lutheranism provides a model for the organization of society.

“My research shows that Topelius manifests himself as a Lutheran author in The Surgeon’s Stories,” says Boije, who recently defended her thesis in Church History. “He does this both explicitly and implicitly by creating various fictional characters who represent different ways of managing a household, acting as a head of the household or as a wife or mother serving both the household and the nation. Thus, for Topelius, the Lutheran concept of the household, based on the Table of Duties in Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, plays the part of the nation in miniature. In the household, everyone has their own God-given role. It is within the household that concepts of mutual obligations, obedience, and gender roles take shape – and are then reflected in the nation as a whole.”

In The Surgeon’s Stories, Topelius highlights various ideals both by displaying the ideal itself and by illustrating its opposite. He does this, for example, by describing the good heads of the households who combine authority with care and the non-ideal head of the household who only exhibits authority. The wife of the household is often depicted as a spiritual guide, and marriage is seen as the foundation of both social stability and the national future. Fertility and family formation are closely linked with the survival of the nation, while diligence and hard work are held up as Lutheran virtues on which the nation stands.

Topelius describes Catholics as infertile

At the same time, Boije shows that this nation-building has clearly defined boundaries. Religious minorities are placed outside the national community.

“It becomes apparent that the way in which Topelius regards various minority groups, such as Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and followers of folk tradition are characterized by marginalizing aspects that are typical of the 19th century,” Boije explains. “This shows in the way Topelius describes Catholic women and men as infertile, for example, whereas ideal Finnish Lutherans have many children. By and large, these minorities have no place in the Lutheran household and are therefore excluded from the nation as a whole.”

The study demonstrates that Topelius’s way of exploring the nation is rooted in early modern worldviews in which the household constituted a meaningful social order. Topelius incorporates these ideas in the modern national project so that the new nation continues on from older social and religious structures, rather than being a radical break with the past.

Had a great influence on both Finland and Sweden

The Surgeon’s Stories had a great influence on the way people in Finland, and also in Sweden, came to understand their history. For a long time, Topelius was Albert Bonnier’s best-selling author, and The Surgeon’s Stories in particular went through many editions from 1853 well into the 20th century. Topelius’s works have influenced the national identity of the Finns for generations.

“By studying how the nation is created in literature, we can better understand the role that religion, especially the Lutheran faith, played in shaping the Nordic nations. Today, when issues of national identity, belonging, and tolerance are once again highly relevant, Topelius’s texts provide valuable perspectives on how stories shape inclusive and exclusive communities,” Boije concludes.

Facts: The Table of Duties

The Table of Duties in Luther’s Small Catechism is divided into three estates: the spiritual, the political, and the domestic. The domestic estate has a key function in the three-estate doctrine, deriving from the fourth commandment, that all people must honor their father and mother, which is then reflected in the two other estates. The State was viewed as the extended household of the king, with the king as the head of household, the priest acted as father in his parish, and the husband ruled in his household. In the household, everyone had their own God-given role within their estate.

Contact

Erika Boije, PhD in Church History, Department of Theology, Uppsala University
Email: Boije.Erika@gmail.com
Mobile: +46 70-36 148 51 (Speaks Swedish, English and Finnish)

Dissertation

Boije, E. (2025). En ny luthersk nation : Ideal och motbilder i Fältskärns berättelser av Zacharias Topelius (PhD dissertation, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis).