This study investigates ways of writing history of Finland’s literature from the beginning of the 19th century till the present. It outlines the specificities of writing literary history of a ‘minor’ literature for the public unfamiliar with this literature. These methodological considerations are framed by a critical overview of the history of  literary historiography in Finland. The study analyses the ways of defining Finnish or Finland’s literature, and maps various approaches to literary historiography over the last 200 years; contributions of scholars from outside Finland, mainly Sweden, English and German speaking countries, Russia and Italy are considered briefly as well. The overview is supported by a survey of critical debates on historiography within Finnish literary scholarship. The study is concluded with an outline of a prospective towards future developments.