Erika Boije: A New Lutheran Nation: Ideals and Countertypes in The Surgeon’s Stories by Zacharias Topelius

Abstract

This study examines how the Finnish-Swedish author, historian, and journalist Zacharias Topelius (1818–1898) formulated ideals and counter-images for Finland as a new Lutheran nation in his historical novel Fältskärns berättelser (The Surgeon’s Stories, 1853–1867). Building on the European tradition of historical fiction initiated by Sir Walter Scott, Topelius used the genre as a means of nation-building, integrating history, religion, and moral ideals into a national narrative. The study demonstrates that Topelius, in Fältskärns berättelser, depicts Finland as a new nation emerging in relation to several religions. However, it is the Lutheran faith that serves as the nation's foundation. In the novel, Topelius emerges as a 19th-century Lutheran author. Through a systematic analysis of Fältskärns berättelser, this study reveals how Topelius employs the Lutheran concept of the household, along with the cultural implications associated with the Table of Duties in Luther’s Small Catechism, as a framework for his nation-building efforts. The household, viewed as the smallest unit of the nation, functions as both a social and spiritual framework, defining gender relations and establishing boundaries on aspects such as fertility and tolerance. The study highlights how Lutheran ideals of shared responsibilities, authority, and care are expressed through the portrayal of men and women as co-regents within the household, illustrating the interplay of masculinity and femininity in the national project. Topelius’ depiction of religious minorities - Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and followers of folk traditions - reveals their exclusion from this Lutheran national framework. Their absence from the household, both symbolically and socially, signifies exclusion from the nation itself. Ultimately, the study argues that Topelius’ Lutheran nation-building continues early modern household-based social structures into the modern era. It highlights the enduring influence of religion in Nordic nation-building and demonstrates that modern Finnish and Nordic identities evolved from, rather than replaced, Lutheran traditions.