Areas of expertise
Research field: history
- Birgittines, Vadstena Abbey
- late-medieval theological literature, sermon literature
- reception history and use of texts
- paratexts, textual composition, mise-en-page
- manuscript fragments
- research databases
I am a historian specialising in late medieval Swedish literary culture. In my current project funded by Emil Aaltonen’s Foundation, I study theological literature in medieval Sweden. I aim to create an overall picture of where and when theological manuscripts were brought to Sweden and how this relates to local book production. The project develops a method that will enable the combination of data from manuscripts preserved in their entirety with those preserved in fragments for the first time.
Previously, I have studied the influence of the St. Victor’s School of Paris in late medieval Sweden and the alphabetical reference work Alphabetum dictinccionum by Master Mathias of Linköping (ca. 1350).
I am particularly interested in the dissemination, reception, and use of texts. I examine those through the manuscript context, the layout of the texts, and the paratextual elements surrounding them. The history of manuscript copies is often multifaceted, and it is fascinating that no two manuscripts are the same.
Another area of my interest is digital humanism, particularly the use of databases in research. Research databases enable us to structure and manage even large amounts of data. With the aid of search tools, we can identify phenomena in the data that we would not otherwise be able to detect.
In addition to my research work, I am writing a non-fiction book in Finnish on bestiaries, a moralised compendium of animals. I am also co-writing a book on medieval non-fiction literature with my colleague Antti Ijäs. I am a member of the editorial boards of the Finnish Literary Society of Viborg and the Mirator journal published by Glossa, the Society of Medieval Studies in Finland. I am a member of the Medieval Materialities and Intellectualities research network at the University of Helsinki.
Selected publications:
Sanna Supponen, Alphabetum distinccionum of Master Mathias of Sweden: its composition, use and literary context. PhD thesis, University of Helsinki 2023.
Olli-Pekka Kasurinen, Lauri Leinonen & Sanna Supponen, “Modernien tutkimustietokantojen ja tiedonjalostusmenetelmien mahdollisuudet historiantutkimukselle: tapaus Diplomatarium Fennicum.” Historiallinen Aikakauskirja 117:3 (2019).
