Korean Literature
Korean Literature has been explained in several articles including Hwang Jongyon’s “A Modern Episode”, “The Aesthetic Ideology Emergence in the Modern Criticism of Modern Korea Literacy”, “Value of Literature” authored by Yi Kwang-su and “What is Literature?” by the latter. The all explain the theme of the various origins of Modern Korea Literacy by providing historical information about the language. The paper below looks into all the four articles and how they reflect on the origin of Korean literature. For instance, “What is Literature?” explains how different terms in Korean were used differently from the past and recent times, and “The Value of Literature” where people do not prioritize literature due to the numerous issues they face hence their ignorance on the origin of Korean literature. On the third article, a different author named “Story of the Novel in Korea”Hwang Jong-yon explains the literature origin through the Korean Novels developed in the early days of literature through translations from other cultures such as the Western and Japanese and on the fourth journal by the same author, (The Aesthetic Ideology Emergence in the Modern Criticism of Modern Korea Literacy), he criticizes the first article and its ideology on literature.
Yi Kwang-Su begins the article; “What is Literature?” by explaining how the meaning of a particular term can be conceived differently across space and time. In ancient times, for instance, some words such as “Kyong” (卿) and “Chim” (朕) were used interchangeably with “I” (爾) and “o” (吾) which would literarily mean “you” and “I” (Kwang-us 293). In recent years, Kyong and chim were utilized only by emperors and kings along with their vassals. In such manner, the term changed over a period. The meaning of various characters may be understood differently. The author also stipulates that Koreans have been raised and also educated under the Chinese culture’s influence as the classics and scripts from the latter significantly influenced the current literature of the former. Kwang-su mentions that the writing system of Korea was invented during the period of the Three Kingdoms. However, attributed to several historical and social upheavals, the literature during that period which had flourished got lost (Kwang-su 293).
In another article by Yi Kwang-su (“The Value of Literature”), , the author mentions that “the Korean Literary world is not familiar to him as people have ignored literature itself.” (Kwang-su, 310). This means that for one to determine the origin of the Korean Literacy, they have to extensively focus their efforts towards obtaining old materials which can help estimate the period. The reason provided as to why people have entirely ignored literacy and have no interest in acquiring information about the same is their living conditions. They channeled their efforts on obtaining shelter, clothing, and food (Kung-Su, 288). That has, in turn, resulted in prioritization of will and knowledge and will over their emotions. That was one of the reasons why Korean literature development has significantly been slow. Another reason why people had other priorities is that Eastern Asia areas are barren lands and with such kind of uncomfortable conditions, people are more focused in fields different from literature. According to the Kwung-su (289), Literature can only be ideal for people that are living under ideal types of conditions.
In a different journal by Hwang Jong-yon, the author strives to portray the origin of the Korean Literature by explaining where the modern Korean novel had been derived from attributed to the Western Novels and their Impacts. According to the author, “the Korean novel was as a result of the effect brought by the Western Novels through the Japanese translations as well as the young Korean writers’ criticism” (Jong-yon 213). Hwang also explains how the Korean writers within the colonial period generally came to know about the Western Novel through the critical writings and the Japanese translations as they did other different Western Culture aspects. Some of the very first essential works which were written by the Japanese were not mentioned by the Korean writers, but it either was known to other types of Pioneering writers like Kim Dong-In and Yi Gwang-su. The theme of Korean Literature origin is also depicted by Hwang as he informs the reader that Korean writers during the colonial period came to learn the Western Novel through translations made by the Japanese. Stories of Yeong-chae depicts a single relation with a traditional kind of fiction, in a modern Korean Novel (Jong-yon 216). The Hwang believes that Korean Literature was significantly promoted through novels.
In the reading on ‘The Aesthetic Ideology Emergence in the Modern Criticism of Modern Korea Literacy,’ Hwang Jonyong criticizes some works of Kwang-su on “What is Literature?”, and his premise with regards to his theory concerning literature as the readers from Korea did not have any idea on what literature entailed such that the readers did not understand it if it was discussed in Korean.
Hwang also provides some insight on Korean literature in the article and the ideology. Korean writing is said to be a conception which is isolated from the traditional mun ideology, and it runs and is liberated from the Chinese literature (Jong-yon 22). In other words, China played a significant role in the establishment of the Korean literature. China is considered in premodern Korea as the universal culture center and source of the cultural identity of Korea.
In closing, all the three authors try to explain the theme of Korea literature origin using historical facts and information from other sources. The literature above has looked into four different articles written by two authors namely; Hwang Jong-yon and Yi Kwang-su and the various ways in which they try to explain the theme of Korean Literature origin.
Works Cited
Yi, K. and Rhee, J. (2018). The Value of Literature (Munhak ŭi Kachi).
Yi, K. and Rhee, J. (2018). What Is Literature? (Munhak iran hao).
Jong-yong, H. (2018). The Story of the Novel in Korea:
A Modern Episode
Jong-yong, H. (2018). The Emergence of Aesthetic Ideology in
Modern K orean Literary Criticism:
An Essay on Yi Kwang-su