Written in the mid-19th century, Yukmidanggi presents the foreign land of China as a place for a rite of passage that enables the protagonist to grow into a mature and successful man. It is also a place that ensures freedom for the women whom he meets and marries throughout his journey. The story’s setting changes from the Silla Dynasty to China and back to Silla in the end.
Unlike most classical Korean novels, in which foreigners are ostracized or sacrificed, this story is special in that it portraits the protagonist’s foreign existence as a cause for him to be protected, accepted and assisted to recover his self-reliance. The logic of this narrative reflects an idea that must have been prevalent among the people of the time: that a nice person who is earnestly devoted to his parents is bound to be fortunate and that even a throne can be bestowed to such a person.
The protagonist’s blindness and foreign existence seem to express the author’s own feeling of alienation, which is soothed in the story by the protagonist’s successful journey through the foreign land and his sincere courtship and union with the women from the country.
@article{ART001672052}, author={Jeung Sun Hee}, title={The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi}, journal={The Research of the Korean Classic}, issn={1226-3850}, year={2012}, number={25}, pages={205-232}, doi={}
TY - JOUR AU - Jeung Sun Hee TI - The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi JO - The Research of the Korean Classic PY - 2012 VL - null IS - 25 PB - The Research Of The Korean Classic SP - 205 EP - 232 SN - 1226-3850 AB - Written in the mid-19th century, Yukmidanggi presents the foreign land of China as a place for a rite of passage that enables the protagonist to grow into a mature and successful man. It is also a place that ensures freedom for the women whom he meets and marries throughout his journey. The story’s setting changes from the Silla Dynasty to China and back to Silla in the end.
Unlike most classical Korean novels, in which foreigners are ostracized or sacrificed, this story is special in that it portraits the protagonist’s foreign existence as a cause for him to be protected, accepted and assisted to recover his self-reliance. The logic of this narrative reflects an idea that must have been prevalent among the people of the time: that a nice person who is earnestly devoted to his parents is bound to be fortunate and that even a throne can be bestowed to such a person.
The protagonist’s blindness and foreign existence seem to express the author’s own feeling of alienation, which is soothed in the story by the protagonist’s successful journey through the foreign land and his sincere courtship and union with the women from the country. KW - Yukmidanggi;Silla;China;foreigner;foreign existence;the author’s own feeling of alienation DO - ER -
Jeung Sun Hee. (2012). The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi. The Research of the Korean Classic, 25, 205-232.
Jeung Sun Hee. 2012, "The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi", The Research of the Korean Classic, no.25, pp.205-232. Available from: doi:
Jeung Sun Hee "The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi" The Research of the Korean Classic 25 pp.205-232 (2012) : 205.
Jeung Sun Hee. The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi. 2012; 25 : 205-232. Available from: doi:
Jeung Sun Hee. "The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi" The Research of the Korean Classic no.25(2012) : 205-232.doi:
Jeung Sun Hee. The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi. The Research of the Korean Classic, 25, 205-232. doi:
Jeung Sun Hee. The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi. The Research of the Korean Classic. 2012; 25 205-232. doi:
Jeung Sun Hee. The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi. 2012; 25 : 205-232. Available from: doi:
Jeung Sun Hee. "The Experience of a Foreign Land and a Foreign Existence Depicted in the Novel Yukmidanggi" The Research of the Korean Classic no.25(2012) : 205-232.doi: