Cechy narowode Finów
Finns’ national characteristic

Summary/Abstract: Zachrias Topelius, studying Finnish national character in the 19th century, described the figure of Matii, the father of all stereotypes making up the archetypical Fin. Matti is a grim lumberjack, unhurriedly clearing the backwoods, stubborn and suspicious, but honest and shy at heart. Wondering whether the national stereotypes are by any means legitimate, Lehtonen goes back to the history of timidity (he discerns its roots in the 18th century, when shyness and bashfullness were considered a good manner at Finnish courts and in presbyteries) as well as anthropological research concerning personality and culture, and the etymology of Finnish and Swedish words denoting timidity.

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