The Genre of Trolls - Doria

the tension and interplay between these points of view that I wish to elucidate.
In his early works (Bakhtine 1984; Bakhtin 1993), Bakhtin pondered
the relation between self and other in terms of finalization, the bestowal of
form, rather than unfinalizability, which he regarded as the consequence of
poor art. These early formulations of the problem of intersubjectivity are a
fair complement to the later theories of polyphony and dialogue with their
unbridled celebration of indeterminacy. Thus I will analyze the role of unfinalizability
on the one hand and finalization on the other in the construction
of the relationship between man and troll, taking the differing requirements
of the genre and of the characters into account.
An important aspect of Bakhtin’s conception of unfinalizability is the assumption
of a dialogical position in relation to the hero on the part of the
author. Such a position entails the adoption of a very open attitude to the
characters which allows them to develop freely within the narrative. Hence
dialogue is employed in a restricted sense, as it implies a willingness to listen
unconditionally to the other. The performer of a narrative of trolls may
be presumed to exhibit such an attitude to his supranormal characters by
permitting them “to be themselves”, and this hypothesis needs to be verified,
but I also want to examine whether the human characters in the text
engage in dialogue with the troll in this specific sense, and what it might
suggest for the interpretation of the relationship between humans and
supernatural creatures.
To summarize, I hope to demonstrate how theories of intertextuality and
genre taken together may serve to highlight the creation of images of the
supernatural in narrative. Finally, I want to stress that the interpretations
presented in this thesis are my own, based on my individual store of knowledge,
and that others, including the narrators I am studying, might well
see, or have seen, other connections than I am able to perceive. Similarly,
the conclusions I draw on the basis of these interpretations are my own,
and they are custom-made for the material I am utilizing. Hence, even
though I believe they have some degree of general applicability, I also think
they have to be tested in each individual case.
1.2 Delimitations and Definitions
The present study is geographically, linguistically and temporally delimited;
it is primarily focused on the provinces of Nyland (Uusimaa), Southwestern
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Introduction