Dr Hanna Karhu

Researcher

e-mail: hanna.karhu@helsinki.fi

Research interest:

• literary manuscripts
• genetic criticism
• Otto Manninen

I’m specialized in genetic criticism, study of literary manuscripts and connections between folklore and literature. In my postdoctoral study I analysed the relationship of Otto Manninen’s (1872−1950) poetry and Finnish rhymed folksongs. This study combined methodology of genetic criticism, metrical studies and folkloristics. I defended my doctoral thesis Säkeiden synty. Geneettinen tutkimus Otto Mannisen runokäsikirjoituksista (Birth of Verses. Genetic Study of the Poetry Manuscripts of Otto Manninen) in 2012, where I studied the writing processes of Otto Manninen’s poems: (https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/37099). 

Currently I work in a project that studies the genres of the Kalevala. I’m also a member of prof. Lotte Tarkka's Academy of Finland research project MuMOC: The Muted Muses of Oral Culture. Ideology, transnationalism and silenced sources in the making of national heritages and literatures and a member of Sakari Katajamäki’s research project on the archival traces of translations.  

I have also worked during 2016−2017 as a researcher in Finnish Literature Society’s unit, Edith – Critical Editions of Finnish Literature, with Aleksis Kivi’s novel Seitsemän veljestä (Seven brothers). I have also thought the course Archives and literary research (2006−2017) and the course Critical editing (2017−2019). I'm a co-writer of Tekstuaalitieteiden sanasto (Glossary of Textual Studies, 2010): http://tekstuaalitieteidensanasto.finlit.fi:8080.