ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the child figures depicted in different texts of Lasning for barn. It briefly looks at Topelius' opinions on children in his essays which can be found in the posthumously published collection Blad ur min tankebok. In his article, Topelius wrote that Froebel's system of education could have an unpredictable effect on the corporal and moral development of the forthcoming generations. Topelius accomplished his magnificent life's work influenced by the awakening of nationalism at the time when Finland was a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Topelius wrote numerous plays for children which were meant to be performed at schools and at homes for a limited audience. His children's plays formed the core of children's theatre repertoires at both theatres and schools throughout Finland till the middle of the twentieth century. Topelius' child figures are heavily gendered and they carry their respective stereotyped gender roles.
