Polén, Rietrik [1823- 1884] - Johdanto Suomen kirjallishistoriaan : yliopistollinen kirjoitus

Helsingissä, J.C. Frenckell, 1858. 20x13cm, 79 pages. Imperial Alexander University of Finland doctoral dissertation.. Without wrappers. Foxing & soil to title. Good. ¶ The first doctoral dissertation in Finnish. Text entirely in Finnish. Full title reads: " Johdanto Suomen kirjallishistoriaan : yliopistollinen kirjoitus, jonka, Suomen keisarillisen Aleksanterin-yliopiston kuuluisan historia-kielellis- tiedekunnan suostumuksella ja suomalaisen kielen ja kirjallisuuden rohvessorin, tohtor ja ritar Elias Lönnrotin johdolla ; julkisesti tarkastettavaksi esitti Rietrik Polén". ["Rietrik Polén ...was a Finnish journalist and lecturer. He was particularly noteworthy for his outspoken support of the Finnish nationalist movement in the mid-1800s....As a student, he became interested in Hegelian ideas of national identity, leading to his involvement in Finnish nationalism. He was an active participant in the Finnish Literature Society, and did fieldwork in Eastern Finland gathering folktales and songs. He earned his PhD in 1858 with his dissertation, Johdanto Suomen kirjallisuushistoriaan ( Introduction to the History of Finnish Literature). In this work, he declared, 'Our nationality and culture demand that in Finland, scientific work must be carried out in Finnish'. To this end, his dissertation was the first ever submitted in that language. (At the time, most academic discussions were conducted in Swedish or English.)" -wikipedia].