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The task of the science of history is to help understand human thinking and actions in the past and thereby also in the present. History is a discipline that allows these changes in thinking and action to be examined in a long-time perspective.

In English, the word history refers to a story whose protagonist is a person (his story). The Greek root word ‘ιστορία’ means knowledge obtained through research. Historical knowledge consists of conclusions made with the help of e.g. artefact finds, written or digital sources, their comparison and analysis using source-critical methods.

Just like a prehistoric find or an official document, a fictional work can also be a valuable historical source, insofar as it describes author’s intentions, the discourse surrounding the work, and the time in question. The task of source criticism is then to make these things understandable to the modern reader, to place the source of information in a temporal and local context and to distinguish valuable information from less valuable, fact from fiction.

On this site you can find the presentation of my latest book publication, film reviews, writings of a novice blogger about the literary salons of early modern France, and stories about Rome, the source of Western civilization, as told by a casual traveller.

Happy reading!

Dirk van Delen, Conversation outside a Castle. 1636. Oil on panel. Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen.

Rome Before and Now – Time Travel to the Eternal City

This guided virtual tour takes you a little deeper into the historical sights of Rome, in other words things that anyone planning a trip to Rome should know. What stories do the sights of Rome and works of art tell us about the colourful past of the city? Why was the statue of the goddess Venus once worshipped? What did Hadrian’s villa look like in its original outfit? What kind of equipments did Leonardo da Vinci design? Interviews with museum director Federico Beciani and archaeologist Marina De Franceschini.

On the Verge of Reality and Fiction – the Image of Rome in Books and Films

How has Rome been portrayed in contemporary literature and art and how well do these images reflect reality? Why has Rome been a popular subject and a dramatic scene in many successful films?

An Interview with Archaeologist Marina De Franceschini on September 20, 2019

Villa Adriana comprises a villa designed by Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) and 120 acres of land. There are many replicas of the emperor’s favourite buildings originating from Greece and Egypt. But for what purpose was it once built? What did Hadrian’s villa look like in its original outfit? These and many other questions will be answered in the next interview by archaeologist Marina De Franceschini.

A Short History of Rome

This article is a brief summary of the most important events in Roman history. How did Rome become an empire and later in a new era a modern democratically controlled society? The article explores the history of Rome from Romulus and Remus to the present republican form of government.

Helsinki: Unigrafia Oy, 2013. Condition: New. 277 pp.

Price 38€ + postage fee 12€ (EU)/17€ (other countries)

My book ‘Transgressing Boundaries’ explores the customs, sociability, and the art of polite conversation in the literary salons of early modern France from the early years of the Hôtel de Rambouillet to the fashionable gatherings of Enlightenment philosophers and salon hostesses. Thanks to their contribution, topics that were initially only suitable for the société (literature, art, philosophy) created the basis for a wider social debate in the late 18th century.

The main argument in my book is that the social identity of Ancien Régime high society both manifested itself and was largely defined by interaction and diverse communicative strategies. Of central concern are the ways in which politeness and free interaction bypassed and transgressed social distinctions within the cultural elite of the time. The book examines the importance of language and communication in the formation of the social identity of the société.

The book also highlights several aspects of Ancien Régime sociability that have been only marginally dealt with in previous studies: the conversational nature of worldly literature, art and music of the time; the parallel development of figurative language and the culture of politeness, and the capability of different strategies of politeness to create unity or distinction in social interaction.

Book Reviews

“… Tikanoja’s book essentially defends the view … that the salons helped to create a ‘bourgeois public sphere’ … laying the groundwork for eventual challenge to the traditional, political and social order. Tikanoja makes this case with impressive learning, demonstrating a wide knowledge of literary and archival sources … Tuomas Tikanoja has … provided a learned, thorough and often absorbing discussion of politeness in salon culture that should be consulted by all scholars interested in this topic.”

– Nicolas Hudson, University of British Columbia

French History (November 2, 2014)

“This book covers a lot of territory. One of its strengths is in its synthesis of a large number of primary works … the book can serve as a useful tool for students of early modern theories of sociability … Transgressing Boundaries serves as a useful and very readable survey of the abundant literature of civility as it developed over more than two centuries, and argues convincingly for the strong ties between Enlightenment debates on civil society and the worldly model of sociability as cultivated in France since the Renaissance.”

– Elisabeth Goldsmith, Boston University

Huom! Tämän kirja-arvion lukemiseen tarvitset Adobe Acrobat Reader – sovelluksen.

H-France Review Vol. 15 (May 2015), No. 72

“This is quite an interesting work and it adds significant nuance to the ongoing scholarly conversation about the importance of sociability and politeness to Baroque and Enlightenment intellectual and cultural history … It is a book that should be read by early modernists and I hope that it will garner some attention in the field.”

– Brian Cowan, McGill University

If you want to break away from everyday life, find out about the past and the present, and let your imagination run wild, try reading!

For sale: Slightly used French books in good condition! You can find more detailed content description by clicking on the book image or title.

For all history buffs!

The new history quiz is out!

Now you can challenge yourself and test your knowledge of historical events, persons and phenomena.

Welcome to my homepage!

Rome Before and Now – Time Travel to the Eternal City

On the Verge of Reality and Fiction – the Image of Rome in Books and Films

An Interview with Archaeologist Marina De Franceschini on September 20, 2019

A Short History of Rome

Book Reviews

If you want to break away from everyday life, find out about the past and the present, and let your imagination run wild, try reading!

For sale: Slightly used French books in good condition! You can find more detailed content description by clicking on the book image or title.

Darcos, Xavier, Histoire de la littérature française. Paris: Hachette Livre, 1992.

Marchal, Roger, Mme de Lambert et son milieu. Oxford: The Voltaire Foundation, 1991.

Dictionnaire des vins de France. Paris: Hachette Livre, 2001.

For all history buffs!

The new history quiz is out!