@article{ART003342561},
author={최수현},
title={The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon},
journal={The Research of the Korean Classic},
issn={1226-3850},
year={2026},
number={73},
pages={213-251}
TY - JOUR
AU - 최수현
TI - The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon
JO - The Research of the Korean Classic
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 73
PB - The Research Of The Korean Classic
SP - 213
EP - 251
SN - 1226-3850
AB - This article aims to examine the patterns and significance of the transformation of Korean classical narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Korean American author Axie Oh. While the novel adopts The Tale of Sim Cheong as its fundamental narrative structure, it also reconstructs and transforms classical Korean narratives such as Heungbu and Nolbu and Fairy and Woodcutter as embedded stories. This study first explores the aspects of Korean classical narratives that are appropriated and transformed in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. The novel constructs its primary narrative framework based on The Tale of Sim Cheong while simultaneously reworking The Tale of Sim Cheong, Heungbu and Nolbu, and Fairy and Woodcutter into embedded narratives.
Next, this article examines the distinctive features of the transformation of The Tale of Sim Cheong in the novel, focusing on the mode of rebirth and the transformation of the helper structure. Unlike The Tale of Sim Cheong, in which Sim Cheong’s rebirth is presented as a reward for the practice of filial piety, rebirth in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is achieved through the process of resolving a curse. In this process, the novel emphasizes the importance of balancing care for family and community with self-care. Furthermore, the role of helper figures shifts from transcendental beings such as the Jade Emperor and the Dragon King to ancestors such as great-aunts and grandfathers, thereby emphasizing kinship communities and reinforcing familial care.
Such transformations are significant in that they inherit the themes of familial care, self-care, and communal care already present in The Tale of Sim Cheong, while simultaneously expanding them into an ethics of care that emphasizes the balance between care for family and community and care for the self. In addition, through its use of ancestral helpers and the transformation of embedded narratives, the novel foregrounds care within kinship communities and highlights ethnic narratives. This aspect closely resembles the representation of grandparent-grandchild care and ethnic storytelling frequently found in diaspora literature and cultural content.
KW - The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea;Sim Cheong;care;Heungbu and Nolbu;Fairy and Woodcutter;transformation and Its Significance
DO -
UR -
ER -
최수현. (2026). The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon. The Research of the Korean Classic, 73, 213-251.
최수현. 2026, "The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon", The Research of the Korean Classic, no.73, pp.213-251.
최수현 "The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon" The Research of the Korean Classic 73 pp.213-251 (2026) : 213.
최수현. The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon. 2026; 73 : 213-251.
최수현. "The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon" The Research of the Korean Classic no.73(2026) : 213-251.
최수현. The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon. The Research of the Korean Classic, 73, 213-251.
최수현. The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon. The Research of the Korean Classic. 2026; 73 213-251.
최수현. The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon. 2026; 73 : 213-251.
최수현. "The Transformation of Korean Classical Narratives in The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Its Significance-Focusing on the Adaptation of The Tale of Sim Cheon" The Research of the Korean Classic no.73(2026) : 213-251.
