KJC Korea
Journal Central

This paper explores the possibility to improve the utilization of portrait panegyrics in various fields of Korean literature and art history to share and develop academic interest in the combination between text and image and how it can be incorporated into various university lectures. The values of portrait panegyrics as lecture materials are to increase the educational use of the traditional verse in Chinese characters. In addition, this may improve the cultural diversity of lectures through the revival of east Asian Chinese literature and link the self-expression of students who study literature at university. Finally, this paper presents examples of discussion-type teaching models that can be used in major and liberal arts lectures, which can not only cultivate professional knowledge and research senses, but in addition obtain a modern understanding of Korean classical literature and the skill of self- expression.

This article examines how classical novels can be appreciated by modern readers when translated into modern language. Accordingly, I reviewed the renowned idea that modern readers would enjoy classical novels if they were translated into readable text. In Chapter 2, I examined the meaning of increased readability by citing examples of Korean classics translated into modern language. Increasing readability often means that it is written to easily read and understand, but it is based on the idea that complete comprehension is possible in a certain way, that is, by reading silently. In Chapter 3, I discussed the important elements that should be translated in classical novels. I believed that translations into modern language should not be simply changes from one element to another within the same language. The background for this idea is the possibility of a one-to-one response between any word from the original language and the translation into the receiving language. According to Jakobson, translation of Korean classics has a complex nature with all the characteristics of three kinds of translation: intralingual translation, interlingual translation, and intersemiotic translation. These characteristics are attributed to the unique mediums of Korean classical novels and the complexity of their enjoyment. Therefore, if the translation of a Korean classic is limited to the communication of its exact meaning, this makes it impossible to complete without misinterpreting the text. Translation is the transfer of a particular type of language from a specific situation for a unique purpose. Therefore, the question should be, is a good translation of a classical Korean novel done appropriately to suit its context, purpose, or language? This view affirms the existence of various good quality textual translations that can arise depending on how well they serve their purpose, rather than believing that there is a particular translation that is most ideal for a specific text. Eventually, the main issue at this stage is the need for a theory on the translation of Korean classical novels. In addition to translation, the theory should be a combination of semiotics, discourse theory, and media theory.

This article reviews the new possibility that “eoijeongji(에졍지)” in the seventh stanza of “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲)” may be a variation of “eojeongji(御井址).” “Eojeong(御井),” which means “a well that collects the king’s drinking water,” existed in many places where there were royal islands, from the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon Dynasty, and still remained in many historical sites throughout the country. In our ancient literature, compound words such as “eojeongdong(御井洞),” “eojeongjik(御井直),” and “eojeongchon(御井村)” appear along with the word “eojeong(御井).” The word “eojeongji(御井址)” is also used in real-world languages. Therefore, it is plausible that the word “eojeongji(御井址)” existed even in the era when “Cheongsanbyeolgok” was enjoyed. The pronunciation of “eojeongji(御井址)” in the early Joseon Dynasty was “eojyeongji(어졍지).” The change of this “eojyeongji(어졍지)” to “eoijyeongji(에졍지),” which is recorded in “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲),” might be due to i-vowel regressive assimilation(Umlaut). Due to the influence of the half vowel ‘j’ included in the “jyeong(졍)” of “eojyeongji(어졍지),” the preceding vowel “eo(어)” was changed to “eoi(에).” When reading “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲)” from the perspective of a song about a woman who broke up with her lover, the letter “eo(御)” included in “eojyeongji(御井址)” suggests that the narrator’s lover is the king symbolized by the “deer” in the seventh stanza of this work. As in other classics, the meaning of “jeong(井)” as a space of love is suited to the overall emotion and theme of this work, which is interpreted as a song of love. “Ji(址),” which means “the place” where something disappears and merely traces are left, is interpreted as “love left only traces” and corresponds with the appearance of “a bird that has left downstream(믈 아래 가던 새)” in the third stanza of the work. Hence, the seventh stanza, which includes “eoijyeongji(에졍지)” can be interpreted as a song of a servant abandoned by the king, recalling his past love when he lived in the palace, while passing through the “eojyeong(御井)” site. This interpretation of “eoijyeongji(에졍지)” suggests that “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲)” may be another example of a male author’s work written in the voice of a female speaker, singing of longing for a king through the love between a man and a woman.

This study examined the way sexuality of women and men worked in <Sexually Combining with a Dead Woman>, a story of a man who sleeps with a deceased woman. With an emphasis on gender, this study examined how the act of pursuing sexual desire by living men with dead women is being semanticized in narratives, and analyzed the aspect of social acceptance and reorganization of sexuality. In the story of <Sexually Combining with a Dead Woman>, the corpse of a woman is a seductive body, and the sexual desire and sleep pattern of a man are supposed to be a response to temptation. In addition, the time in oral narratives was accepted as a kind act of a man who prevented a woman from becoming a spirit. It showed the character of a story of grace, which relieves all the deficiencies of men with the help of a virgin and her parents. On the other hand, male characters in the were able to achieve personal maturity by confirming the situation that all the family members, including the women, died after the relationship with women. Although the body was not recovered, they became socially mature by conducting the funeral rites and offerings. The tales of <Sexually Combining with a Dead Woman> reveal the aspects of men and women interacting and influencing each other through sexual unions, through the existence of life and death. The story acknowledged sexuality as an innate human desire but highlighted the inequality of androcentrism.

The purpose of this study is to examine the form and spatial temporality of empathy between characters in the folktales which includes the structure of empathy. The tales of <The famous place that was obtained after saving the dead>, <The famous place that was obtained after saving the dying person>, <The man who was blessed after saving the daughter of Jeong-seung who was sold>, <The man who held the executive and held a position on the first night>, and <The seven-year-old man who saved the daughter-in-law of the portrait shop> are the subjects of this study. The common feature is that the subject of empathy and the other do not know each other. The subject is in a situation where there is no economic and psychological space to sympathize with the other, but the one who received the subject's help remembers it and attempts to repay the favor. It is a happy ending for both the subject of empathy and the other. The moment where the subject of empathy decides to provide altruistic help towards the other by their own will, namely, time and space, is when he arrives at the kairotic opportunity in the time of Chronos where he is objective, linear, and connected. Empathy is a skill that people can develop through education. Therefore, these stories can be viewed as a desire for people to empathize with each other through time and to live a humane life even at difficult moments by supporting each other and corresponding with the time of Kairos.

This study focuses on the social and historical contexts of the Honam area in the mid to late 1900s and explores the possibility that the anti- Japanese sentiment of the Honam people, during the Japanese invasion of their national sovereignty, acted as a factor in the revision of the 84- jang YulnyeoChunhyangsujeolga(烈女春香守節歌). Besides highlighting the anti-feudal struggle, the transformation of the 84-jang version additionally reflects the response of the Honam people to the invasion of Japanese imperialism in the early 20th century. During the late 19th to the early 20th century, the Japanese invasion of the national sovereignty of the Korean Empire began with the Gabo Reform, the Eulmi Incident, and the Eulsa Treaty. In Namwon, which forms the background of Chunhyangjeon, the anti-Japanese uprising centered on the voluntary army’s continued action. In the mid to late 1900s, Honam was the most active region for anti-Japanese uprisings. Based on this, beyond the hierarchy, ethnic solidarity was strengthened, and pro-Japanese reforms that were enforced by the central cabinet through local officials were resisted. The figures of the 84-jang edition differ from those of the earlier editions, although it was established through the influence of the earlier versions, such as the 33-jang edition and Kim Sejong-Jang Jaebaek pansori series. Unlike previous editions and pansori, the 84-jang edition has new lines identifying Chunhyang with patriotic figures during the Japanese invasion of Imjinwaeran(壬辰倭亂), and the national conscious󰠀 ness is emphasized in Chunhyang’s remarks against Byeon Hakdo. In addition, the strengthening of trust between Chunhyang and Hyangri(鄕吏) reflects the experiences of the Namwon people who were united against pro-Japanese local officials. In conclusion, it is possible to infer that the ideological transformation of the 84-jang Yeolnyeochunhyang󰠀sujeolga was not only a reflection of resistance to the feudal order, but a result from critical perception of the Honam people towards the rapid invasion of their national sovereignty in the 1900’s.

This article focuses on the yŏak system as part of the rites and music policy in the Chosŏn period and explores the specific role of yŏak as one of the obligatory duties assigned to kinyŏ, who served the royal court and local governments as maidservants. In particular, this attempts to trace the trajectory of yŏak as musicians in the royal ceremonies and banquets and the process of gaining recognition through musical competence, while reading against the grain of the dominant representation of kinyŏ as courtesans tied to “improper sexuality” or “improper tunes” in the Confucian discourses. This article suggests that the kinyŏ’s repetitive music performances were a way of fulfilling the physical labor of the maidservant for the government while paradoxically resulting in building the contexture of the artist-kinyŏ’s life history more than just the marginalized other.