KOREAN LITERATURE

AMOMONPON-SABREDO-URMENETA
CHARACTERISTICS OF KOREAN
LITERATURE
➢ Korean literature is the body of literature produced by Koreans, mostly in
the Korean language and sometimes in Classical Chinese. For much of
Korea's 1,500 years of literary history, it was written in Hanja. It is
commonly divided into classical and modern periods, although this
distinction is sometimes unclear.

➢ The stories are generally didactic, emphasizing correct moral conduct, and
almost always have happy endings. Another general characteristic is that
the narratives written by yangban authors are set in China, whereas those
written by commoners are set in Korea.
KOREAN CULTURE
➢ Korean culture is profoundly influenced by Confucian principles and this pervades not
only personal lives, but also business. Confucianism supports group harmony, respect for
elders and authority, the importance of family, friendship and ancestors, and also,
tradition. Korean's make friends first, and clients second.

➢ It has its unique one culture, character, cloth, and food that separate from the countries
nearby Korea. Diligent and hard work, filial piety, and humbleness are characteristics
respected by Koreans. They are proud of their unique traditional culture and their
economic success within a short period of time.

➢ The growing popularity of Korean pop culture in the world was at least partly driven by
the South Korean government supporting its creative industries through subsidies and
funding for start-ups, as a form of soft power with the goal of becoming a leading global
exporter of culture in line with Japanese and British.
Religion & Beliefs
➢ Korea supports religious freedom Confucianism, Buddhism, and
Christianity are the main formal religions Many Koreans believe in
the ancestral spirit and observe Confucian rituals Confucianism is a
political and social philosophy that pervades Korean culture.
KOREAN LANGUAGE
➢ The Korean language is part of a northern Asian
language known as Altaic, that includes Turkish,
Mongolian and Japanese, suggesting early Northern
migrations and trade. Korean was also heavily
influenced by Chinese, but adopted its own writing
system in the 16th century.

Why did Korea stop using Hanja?

➢ Because hanja could not accurately reflect the spoken
language and to improve literacy, King Sejong decided
to create an alphabet for the Korean language. Of
course, it took some time before the Korean alphabet
was perfected.
● Shinsosol- “new novel”

● Ch’anggok- Music and classical poetry, formerly fused together in a kind of a song.
● Linguistic expression and manner of transmission are issues of utmost importance in
the overall understanding of korean literature.

● Korean literature in Chinese was created when Chinese characters were brought to
korea.

● In the koryo and Choson cultures, Chinese letters were central to korean’s daily lives.

● The use of the Korean script began during the Choson period with the creation of the
korean alphabet (Hunmin Chong-um).

● The creation of the Korean alphabet in the 15th century was a crucial turning point in
Korea’s literary history.
 HIGHLIGHTS AND PECULARITIES
OF THE VARIED LITERARY WORKS
The predecessor of this genre was Hong Kil-ton Chon, generally considered to be the
first Korean novel, written in the early 17th century to criticize the inequalities of
Choson society. This trend was reinforced during the late 19th century by the
introduction of Western influences, as writers were inspired by ideas of
enlightenment, freedom and independence. Modern writers have also focused on
social injustice, particularly under the authoritarian regimes, as well as the
dehumanizing influence of industrialization and modernization.

Traditional: Korean literature shows a significant difference before and after

Western influences. In the pre-Western period, literature was influenced by
Shamanism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Under these influences, individuals
accepted the status quo and had a fatalistic view of life. Early literature depicted
a love of nature and man and held that nature and man are one. Another special
aspect of the early period of Korean literature was that it began as an oral
tradition. Therefore, many literary works, also tales and legends sung or spoken
by the ancestors of various Korean tribes, were presented at tribal rites, religious
festivals, sacrifices and political gatherings.
Influenced by social norms, morals and customs, in Korean literature good is rewarded and
evil is punished. Early literature stresses behavior patterns like loyalty to the king, filial
piety, respect for seniors, true friendship and chastity of women.
Modern: After western influences, modern Korean literature has shown dissent both political
and moral, and has deviated from traditionally restricted subject matters to encompass varied
themes. The first Korean writing was produced in the Shilla Kingdom in the 8th century.
The script-type language partially adapted from Chinese letters by phonetic sounding was
called Idu. Only 25 poems called Hyangga remain in this style. During the Koryo Dynasty, a
popular type of verse called Longer Verses came into fashion. At the latter part of the dynasty,
a new kind of lyric, shijo, gained popularity. The shijo usually consisted of three-line stanzas
conveying compact messages. After the Han-gul alphabet was invented, various kinds of love-
poetry were attempted. In the mid-Choson Period, the lyrical form known as kasa was widely
composed.
Written in Chinese as a kind of typical Korean lyric verse, the literati expressed their
attachment to the beauties of nature through their kasa. After the introduction of Sirhak
(Practical Learning) in the 17th and 18th centuries, Western influence brought new
developments to Korean literature, often through Christianity. The concept that all men
are equal became a common theme and attacked the inequality of traditional society.
Once great change in the literature field was the outpouring of words in Han-gul.
Authorship also diversified from the literati to commoners.

New Stories of the Golden Turtle written in Chinese by Kim Shi-sup (1435-1493) is
usually regarded as the beginning of fiction in Korea. Only the first book. containing five
stories, survives today. The stories are marked by Korean settings and tragic endings in
contrast with the Chinese settings and romantic happy endings that characterized earlier
works. Ho Kyun's King Kil-ton Chon is considered the first vernacular novel. Written
in the 17th century, it is a social commentary that attacks the inequalities of Choson
society. In the 19th century, p'ansori, or the "one man opera" form gained popularity.
P'ansori were tales sung by professional artists to an outdoor audience. The text of
p'ansori usually contained satirical messages that lampooned the upper class.
In the years before and after annexation by Japan in 1910, the new national
consciousness depicted through the medium of literature was written in Han-gul
called shinmunhak or new literature. Ch'oe Nam-son published the inspiring poem,
From the sea to a child, in the magazine Sonyon (Child) in 1908, giving birth to
modern poetry or free verse in Korea. Also, Yi Kwang-su started to write modern
novels in the magazine Ch'ongch'un (Youth) in 1914, and his contribution to modern
Korean literature is highly regarded. Up to the late 1960s, creative talents expressed
themselves in the genre. Favorite themes were social injustice, the dehumanizing
influence of industrialization and modernization. Works of noted writers such as Yi
Mun-yol and Han Mu-suk have been translated into various foreign languages
including English and French. Since the quality of writings and translations
continues to rise, in the near future it is hoped that the works of Korean writers will
be appreciated in other countries as much as they are in Korea.
 PROSE
❑ Myths
❑ Legends
❑ Folktales

FICTION
❑ Parable

Oral Literature
❑ Ballads
❑ Legends
❑ Mask plays
❑ Puppet show texts
❑ P’ansori
SAMPLE WORKS OF AUTHORS
WHICH DEPICT AND TELL LIFE’S
EXPERIENCES OF THE PEOPLE
Shin Kyung-sook
Shin Kyung-sook became the first Korean writer to win the Man
Asian Literary Prize in 2012 for her novel Please Look After
Mother. In Korea, Shin is amongst the most highly regarded
contemporary writers, and she has won major literary prizes
including the Manhae Literature Prize, the Dong-In Literary
Award and the Yi Sang Literary Prize. Her prose is especially
prized for its focus on exploring the psychological depths of the
human mind. Please Look After Mother is Shin’s first work to be
available in English. The novel’s plot is driven by a void, an absence
that deeply unsettles the peripheral figures as they confront their
own selfishness and hard-heartedness. The novel is driven by the
guilt of those closest to ‘Mother’, the saintly, sacrificial old woman
who has gone missing in the center of Seoul. Alternating in
perspective, from first to second to third person, the novel veers from
near accusatory to reflective and explores themes of family in the
midst of South Korea’s rapid urbanization and modernization of the
past decade.
Krys Lee
Born in Seoul, Krys Lee grew up in the US and now lives in Seoul. In
her debut collection of short stories Drifting House, her characters
traverse national boundaries physically and emotionally, yet find
themselves adrift, part of nowhere and nothing. Loneliness is pervasive
in the lives of the characters. Lee reveals the true depths of humanity
unmoored and directionless, struggling to survive in a bleak and broken
world. Rather than offering protection against the world, families
fractured by Korea’s political turbulence turn inwards to rip each other
apart in their unhappiness with tragic consequences. The brutal world
that Lee depicts in Drifting House is all too real and recognizable. She
smacks the reader in the face with her unsentimental honesty, tearing
down any remnants of illusory optimism about the world we live in.
Hwang Sok-yong
Dissident and rights activist, Hwang Sok-young was born in
1943 in Japanese-occupied north China, then known as
Manchukuo. A formative experience for Hwang came in 1966 as
he was sent to Vietnam to take part in the American war effort.
During this time, Hwang witnessed the horrors of war, which
formed the basis of his first published work The Pagoda in 1970
as well as The Shadow of Arms in 1985. Throughout the 1970s
and 1980s, Hwang published collections of works that paralleled
his political activities. An activist against the dictatorship of
Park Chung-hee, Hwang took part in the democratic Gwangju
Uprising. Having been jailed in 1993 for ‘breach of national
security’ following a stint in North Korea meeting with North
Korean writers, Hwang was released in 1998 and continued his
literary output with The Old Garden, about the turbulence of the
1980s in Korea, and The Guest, about the deep trauma and
collective amnesia resulting from the division of Korea.
 INFLUENCES OF PREVIOUS
LITERATURE FROM CONQUERORS
China
➢ had influence the Korean Kingdoms by Chinese trade goods &
culture. The Koreans adapted the architecture, political systems
religion and even musical instruments that came from China. It has
also influenced the Korean literature. The Korean literature in
chinese was created when Chinese characters were brought to Korea.
The writers used chinese characters and borrowed chinese words in
their works. The role of Chinese language was so dominant during
that time.
Japan
➢ Early in the century conquered Korea and impose Japanese
culture and language upon it. The official language of Korea, for
administration and education was Japanese. Korean writers used
Japanese language and at that time the use of Korean in
publishing was prohibited. The main themes were indivindual
freedom and the tension between older and younger generations.
Also Korean Literature, had five major Philosophical
influences:
▪ Shamanism
▪ Animism
▪ Buddhism
▪ Confucianism
▪ Taoism
TIMELINE FROM ANCIENT TO
CONTEMPORARY TIMES
 THREE KINGDOM:
KOGURYO,PAEKCHE,
SILLA
(57 B.C.E-668 C.E)

UNIFIED SILLA
(668 -935)

GORYEO OR KORYO
DYNASTY
(935-1392)

JOSEON DYNASTY
(1392-1910)

MODERN
LITERATURE UP TO
THE PRESENT
Three Kingdoms (57 BCE – 668 CE)
➢ The introduction of Buddhism and Chinese characters to the Three Kingdoms enriched their
literature and changed their worldview greatly. In consequence, their artistic activity
advanced far beyond collective singing and dancing to the direct expression of individual
feelings. The heroes of this literature were human beings with individual personalities.

➢ The three kingdoms of this period were Koguryo, in the north; Paekche, in the southwest;
and Silla, in the southeast. The writers of Koguryo, the geographical location of which
provided close contact with the Chinese mainland, seem to have retained something of the
original pioneer spirit from the times when Koreans came from the northern regions and
settled on the peninsula; their poems tended to be heroic tales in epic form. The foundation
myth of Koguryo concerns the migration of King Tongmyong and his people into the region.
The stories of Ondal, King Mich'on, Prince Hodong, the heir apparent Yuri, and others that
had their origin in Koguryo are still used today as the bases for dramas and motion pictures.
➢ In contrast to that of Koguryo, the literature of Paekche and Silla tended to be
lyrical, perhaps because of the milder climate and easier life in the south. Although
little literature from Paekche has survived, the legends and songs contained in
the Samguk sagi give a hint of its original extent and richness. For example,
"Chongupsa"in which the wife of an itinerant merchant asks the Moon to protect her
husband--was passed down from Paekche through the Koryo and Yi dynasties and is
still appreciated in the 20th century.
Unified Silla (668-935)
➢ After the mid-7th century Silla absorbed Koguryo and Paekche and created a stable political system
covering most of the Korean peninsula. During the Unified Silla dynasty many students were sent at
government expense to study in T'ang China.

➢ The consequent absorption of Chinese culture and the flourishing of Korean Buddhism both
contributed to the remarkable artistic flowering of Silla. In particular, the spiritual life of the Silla
nobility, the monks and the chivalrous Hwarangdo, was dominated by Buddhism, and Buddhism thus
became the driving force behind virtually all artistic activity.

➢ The hyangga was the crown of Silla's literary achievement. Although the term hyangga is used generally
to distinguish Korean songs from Chinese poetry, it more specifically denotes the 25 extant poems
transcribed in the newly devised hyangch'al system in the Unified Silla and early Koryo periods. The
texts of 14 hyangga are preserved in the Samguk yusa and those of 11 devotional poems by the Buddhist
monk Kyunyo. The poems that remain, reveal a delicate and elegant style. Two examples written in the
8th century include "Ch'an Kip'arang ka", which praises a member of the Hwarangdo, and "Che
mangmae ka"a funeral hymn.
➢ At the same time, a great body of prose narratives was also being written in
classical Chinese. These include hundreds of volumes of commentaries on
Buddhist scriptures; stories of miracles performed by eminent monks, tales of the
efficacy of Buddhist statues, and the origins of Buddhist monasteries; stories of
valour by members of the Hwarangdo; and stories inspired by the Chinese
narrative form . The last three types of narratives in particular became the basis of
classical fiction in later dynasties.
Goryo or Koryo Dynasty (935-1392)
➢ The last master of the hyangga was the monk Kyunyo, who wrote voluminous commentaries on,
and was a great popularizer of, Buddhism. He composed his poems in Korean, transmitted them
orally, and encouraged his followers to chant and memorize them. The poems in his Kyunyo
chon, based on the 10 vows of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, were transcribed from this oral
transmission. The new poetic form that flourished during the Koryo period (935-1392) was
the pyolgok, which was of folk origin. The pyolgok was intended for large-scale performances on
festive occasions, especially the Harvest Festival and the Lantern Festival. Many pyolgok were
written and performed by women, and such poems as "Tongdong"and "Isanggok"are among the most
moving love lyrics in the Korean language.

➢ The Koryo dynasty was a time of social instability. Internal and external crises abounded, the
result of a factious and oppressive nobility and army, constant border harassment by the Khitan
and Juchen peoples, and the invasions of the Mongols. Under such conditions established scholarly
writers tended to be introspective or hedonistic. Consequently, the new intellectuals who arose
toward the end of the dynasty began to adopt Confucian and Taoist dualistic thought as their
philosophy. They were dissatisfied with pyolgok and sought a different form of poetic expression.
This was the genesis of the sijo, which became a popular poetic form in the Yi dynasty.
➢ Prose narratives underwent much development during the Koryo period. These
included myths, legends, folklore, Buddhist stories and lives of saints, and literary
miscellany. One notable class of tales is that in which the hero is represented by a
personified inanimate object, such as wine, paper, a cane, ice, or a coin, or by an
animate object, such as bamboo or a turtle.
JOSEON DYNASTY (1392- 1910)
➢ The early period is notable for its poetry; the later, for its prose. Inheriting the
tradition of Silla and Koryo, the writers of the early Yi dynasty raised Korean
literature to new heights.

➢ The early Yi dynasty also marks the initiation of a new era in Korean literary
history with the invention of Hangul during the reign of King Sejong. This
important event finally enabled Korean writers to record works in their native
language.

➢ Scholar-officials used the form to justify the founding of the new dynasty and to
praise the virtues of its founder and the beauty of the new capital. As a literature of
the privileged class, the popularity of the akchang was always limited, and it was
soon eclipsed by the most important forms of the Yi dynasty--sijo and kasa.
➢ The shift in emphasis from poetry to prose after the Japanese invasion represents a
significant step in the evolution toward modern literature. It also reflects a basic change in
the philosophical outlook of Korean society. The Yi dynasty had suffered from the rigid
formalism of Confucian officials, whose doctrine was based on the principles of the 12th-
century Chinese philosopher Chu Hsi. The introduction of Roman Catholicism from the
West and of new scientific ideas from China also stimulated the reform measures advocated
by the champions of the new school.

➢ Practical Learning gave impetus to literary activity and awakened the self-consciousness of
the common people. Poetry, which had been the monopoly of the lettered class, came to be
written by the common people. Women also were admitted into the literary world as the
principal audience for traditional fiction. The later active compilation of sijo and prose
narratives reveals the awakening interest in rediscovering and reappraising the past.
➢ By the time of the 1894 reforms, enough social and intellectual change had occurred to
suggest the beginnings of a division between traditional and modern literature. But, just
as conservatism did not favour sudden changes in the political and social structure,
literature, too, faced a period of transition toward its modern transformation. Schools
were established by the educational ordinance of 1895, and the organization of learned
societies and "enlightenment" movements followed soon after. Vernacular publications,
along with the establishment of the Korean Language Institute and the scientific study,
consolidation, and systematization of Korean grammar, also helped open the way for the
modern literary movement.

➢ The first literary forms to appear after the 1894 reforms were the sinsosol and
the ch'angga . These transitional literary forms were stimulated by the adaptation of
foreign literary works and the rewriting of traditional stories in the vernacular.
Songwriters still used such traditional verse forms as the sijo and kasa or a song form,
the predominant pattern of which (seven and five syllables) showed the influence of
popular Japanese songs. Most songs denounced corruption in the government and stressed
independence, patriotic fervour, and modernization.
Modern literature up to the present
➢ The modern literary movement was launched by Ch'oe Namson and Yi Kwangsu. In 1908 Ch'oe
published the poem "Hae egeso pada ege"in Sonyon, the first literary journal aimed at producing
cultural reform. Inspired by Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Ch'oe celebrates, in clean masculine
diction, the strength of the young people who will carry out the necessary social and literary
revolution. The poem's inventions include the use of punctuation marks, stanzas of unequal length,
and reference to the sea and children, hitherto little mentioned in classical poetry. In his stories,
which dealt with the enlightened pioneers who championed Western science and civilization, Yi
Kwangsu adopted a prose style that approximated the everyday speech of common people.

➢ In 1919, shortly before the unsuccessful movement for independence from Japan, translations of such
Western poets as Paul Verlaine, Rémy de Gourmont, and Stéphane Mallarmé began to exert a powerful
influence on Korean poetry. The indirection and suggestiveness of French Symbolist literature were
introduced by Kim Ok, the principal translator. Against the didacticism of the age Kim set Mallarmé,
and against its rhetoric and sentimentality he set Verlaine, concluding in the process that free verse
was the supreme creation of the Symbolists. Kim's fascination with the Symbolist movement
culminated in the publication of Onoe ui mudo, the first Korean collection of translations from
Western poetry. The exotic and melancholy beauty of autumn and expressions of ennui and anguish
appealed to poets who sought to vent their frustration and despair at the collapse of the independence
movement.
Modern Korean literature attained its maturity in the 1930s through the efforts of a group of talented
writers. They drew freely upon European examples to enrich their art. Translation of Western literature
continued, and works by I.A. Richards, T.S. Eliot, and T.E. Hulme were introduced. This artistic and
critical activity was a protest against the reduction of literature to journalism and its use as propaganda
by leftist writers.

The first truly successful poet of modern Korea was Chong Chiyong, who was influenced by William
Blake and Walt Whitman. Paengnoktam, his second book of poetry, symbolically represents the progress
of the spirit to lucidity and the fusion of man and nature. A poetry of resistance, voicing sorrow for the
ruined nation with defiance but without violence or hatred, was produced by Yi Yuksa and Yun Tongju.
In Yi's poem "Cholchong", he re-creates the conditions of an existence in extremity and forces the reader
to contemplate his ultimate destiny. The poetry of Yun Tongju, a dispassionate witness to Korea's
national humiliation, expresses sorrow in response to relentless tyranny.

The liberation of 1945 produced a flowering of poetry of all kinds. Some poets were determined to bear
witness to the events of their age; some sought to further assimilate traditional Korean values, while
others drew variously on Western traditions to enrich their work. Pak is capable of a wide range of
moods, and his language and style impart a distinctive tone to his Christian and nationalistic sentiments.
Marked by sonorific intricacies and incantatory rhythms, Pak's poems are imbued with a strong
historical and cultural consciousness that bears testimony to contemporary reality.
➢ In the last quarter of the 20th century a host of talented writers have been perfecting the art of being
themselves. The poet Hwang Tonggyu, for example, has drawn material not only from his own
experiences but also from the common predicament of the Korean people, expressing what others know
but do not think of saying or cannot say. The novelist Yun Hunggil is another example of a writer who
has cultivated fiction as an instrument of understanding himself and others. In his Changma , for
example, Yun says that ideological differences imposed upon the Korean people by history can be
overcome if they delve into the native traditions that have given them cohesion.

➢ The paucity of first-rate playwrights and actors, the dearth of plays that satisfy dramatic possibilities,
and the general living standards of the audience, as well as the lack of government support, have
limited the scope of dramatic activity. Domestic plays and historical pieces, however, have continued to
be written and staged.
5-10 ITEM FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
1. How do you describe Korean literature?
2. What are the characteristics of Korean literature?
3. Why did Korea stop using Hanja?
4. Name at least 3 Korean famous literary works.
5. If you were given a chance to choose, which
period or dynasty do you want to experience
 THANK YOU

KAMSAHAMNIDA

KECIL B. SABREDO CAMELLE C. AMOMONPON RICA C. URMENETA