문학 과 이데올로기 (left) and The Square by In-hun Choi (right)
While recovering from the Korean War one of the goals of South Korea was to create a new sense of national identity through literature, resulting in many nationalistic works.
In-Hun Choi (최인훈) was an author who steered Korean literature away from these nationalistic tendencies. Instead, he led literature towards themes such as human psychology and social conditions in novels full of groundbreaking literary techniques. Continue reading
P’ansori (판소리)is a fundamental aspect of traditional Korean culture. It is sometimes referred to as a “one-man opera”, and has four distinct characteristics: it is musical, it is a solo oral technique, it is dramatic, and it is in verse. The performer, called kwangdae, is joined on stage only by a drummer and alternates between speaking and singing. The “stage” was traditionally a large mat, and the kwangdae used only a fan and his clothing for props. To learn more, see What is P’ansori? (OSUL login required) by Marshall R. Pihl (Chicago Review, 1993)
One of the most popular p’ansori songs is “Song of Ch’unhyang” or Chunhyangga (춘향가). Chunhyangga has several different scenes, ranging from peaceful to sad, from humorous to serious. Chunhyangjeon (춘향전) is the book based on the song.
Chan E. Park, a professor of Korean language, literature, and performance studies at The Ohio State University, specializes in in p’ansori. You can see a performance by Professor Park here.
Books (in Korean) about p’ansori in OSUL:
Books (in English) about p’ansori in OSUL:
Online articles about p’ansori (OSUL login required)
Dramas are a significant part of culture in South Korea, and have initiated a “Korean Wave”, or “Hallyu”, which is the spread of Korean culture across the globe. From historical and trendy dramas to melodramas, these captivating Korean television programs attract a broad and diverse audience.
OSUL has several books that are either based on dramas or have been turned into dramas.
Books turned into dramas in OSUL:
Covers of 마녀유희, 해 를 품은 달 , 압구정다이어리
Dramas turned into books in OSUL:
Covers of 동이, 마이 프린세스, 선덕 여왕
Covers of 인현 왕후 의 男子, 신사 의 품격
Book in OSUL about Korean dramas
DBpia articles about Korean dramas (OSUL login required)
The unique dynamics of a modern Korean family is explored in 고령화 가족 (Koryŏnghwa kajok) by 천명관 (Ch’ŏn, Myŏng-gwan). This novel follows the lives of three adults who end up moving back into the home of their mother after various complications in their own lives. This particular family situation is somewhat unusual and comedic. However, through 고령화 가족 we are able to see the extent to which contemporary Korean family dynamics challenge former traditional ideals. In 2013, this novel was released as a movie under the same name. Here is a link to the movie trailer: 고령화 가족
Cover of 고령화 가족
There has been a severe shift in the structures of families in Korea over time, especially in the status of women and their rights. Traditionally, Korean families were extremely patriarchal and scarcely gave any rights to women.
Families also placed a heavy significance on sons. Women went under great pressure to have numerous sons that would ensure financial security and carry on the family lineage. OSUL has several resources on the subject of Korean families. These are just a few:
OSUL’s Korean Disney Books
OSUL has several resources for students in the early stages of learning Korean. These include picture books such as Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Aladdin, and Sleeping Beauty from the Disney Golden Book series.
The Korean Studies Collections is starting a blog series – “From Our Shelves”. This blog series will consist of posts about interesting items that are available in the Korean Studies Collections of The Ohio State University Library. As our first blog post, we will be featuring a children’s poetry book – 꼬마 점쟁이 (Kkoma chŏmjaengi).
Although꼬마 점쟁이 (Kkoma chŏmjaengi) is told from a child’s point of view, authors 박정(Pak Chŏng) and 숙희(Suk-hŭi) make clear that the universal themes of this book are pertinent to people of all ages. The short poems are divided into five categories, which range from emotions such as “사랑, 희망, 꿈” to nature such as “꽃, 식물, 곤충, 동물”.
Poetry has a rich history in Korea. According to The British Council’s How to Understand Korean Poetry, poetry was an essential aspect of 19th century Korean culture and continued to be so during the war.
According to Traditional Korean Poetry Has Rich History by the Korean Times, the market for poetry in South Korea today is greater than in the West, reflecting the significance of poetry in South Korean culture. 고은 (Ko Un) is one of the most renowned Korean poets, and his works are recognized worldwide.
Cover of 꼬마 점쟁이
Online articles about Korean poetry and 고은 (Ko Un) in English from World Literature Today v.84 (OSUL login required):
Books by 고은 (Ko Un) in OSUL:
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