From the Shadow of a Myth to an Academic Subject : Teaching Writing from a Cognitive Base

Abstract

In order to truly understand one’s teaching methods and share them with others, one first needs to understand what has been done in the past. The aim is to become conscious of habits, models and attitudes that have become a part of local lore – either in studies of creative writing or in the education system in general. One way to do this is to read creative writing guides written in different periods of time. This paper examines Finnish writing guides published since 1900. It also shows how teaching creative writing slowly became possible in Finland. Finally, the article describes how the historical situation, writing guides and academic tradition influenced the practice of teaching writing at the University of Jyväskylä.