TLÜ ÕIS

Folklore and Older Estonian Literature

Course code

EKE6301.HT

old course code

Course title in Estonian

Rahvaluule ja vanem eesti kirjandus

Course title in English

Folklore and Older Estonian Literature

ECTS credits

6.0

Assessment form

Examination

lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester

Ave Mattheus (language of instruction:Estonian)

lecturer of 2026/2027 Spring semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

Brief description of the course

The course provides an overview of the development of Estonian literature from folklore to the National Awakening period in the second half of the nineteenth century. Topics include the formation and functioning of folklore, genres of folklore, folklore archives and collecting practices, the earliest layers of Estonian written culture, the first written records in Estonian, and the emergence of national literature. Particular attention is paid to the works of Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Otto Wilhelm Masing, Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Lydia Koidula, Jakob Hurt and Carl Robert Jakobson. Key texts are analysed in relation to their literary, cultural and historical contexts.

Learning outcomes in the course

Upon completing the course the student:
- understands the concepts of folklore, folkloristics, Baltic German literary culture and related key terms, defines the principal concepts and genres of folklore and early Estonian literature;
- understands the historical conditions that shaped the development of written Estonian culture and the interrelations between Estonian and Baltic German literary traditions, characterises the major discourses, genres and channels of written culture in early Estonian literary history;
- understands the history, content and formal characteristics of key texts of early Estonian literature, including the Bible and the national epic, identifies and classifies examples of folklore and early Estonian literature according to genre and historical period;
- uses digital databases and online collections relevant to folklore and literary studies;
- values the role of folklore and literature in reflecting and shaping society, understands the importance of reading in broadening intellectual horizons, shaping identity, enriching emotional experience and fostering ethical development;
- presents analytical observations in a well-argued and linguistically accurate oral and written form.

Teacher

Ave Mattheus

Study programmes containing that course