tyylinentyylillinen

Tyylinentyylillinen is a neologistic term used in Finnish literary criticism to describe a stylistic phenomenon in which a text operates on multiple stylistic levels at once. The label denotes a layered or self-referential style where one mode of expression is embedded within or juxtaposed to another, creating a meta-stylistic effect.

Etymology and form. The word is built from tyylin, the genitive form of tyyli (style), combined with a coined suffix pattern intended to signal “characterized by a style within a style.” As a coined or nonce term, tyylinentyylillinen is not part of standard Finnish morphology and is primarily encountered in specialised critical writing rather than broad lexicon usage.

Definition and usage. In analyses, tyylinentyylillinen describes texts that foreground stylistic layering: for example, a narrative that imitates an earlier literary register while simultaneously advancing contemporary language, or a narration that parodies one style by embedding another within the same work. The effect is often meta-textual, inviting readers to reflect on both the content and the act of stylistic imitation itself. The concept is particularly associated with postmodern or experimental writing, where pastiche, quotation, and self-referential craftsmanship are central.

Examples and scope. The term is used mainly by scholars in discussions of Finnish and translated modernist and postmodern literature, where stylistic quotation and self-reflexivity appear. Because it is not widely standardized, its boundaries and criteria vary between analyses and individual scholars.

See also. Intertextuality, metafiction, stylistics, pastiche, self-reflexivity. Notes and further reading typically discuss related concepts rather than rely on a single fixed definition of tyylinentyylillinen.