ASIAN LITERATURE

• South Korea is an East Asian nation located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula, with a population of approximately 51 million people
• "Land of the Morning Calm"


  South Korea is described this way because of its beautiful landscape and picturesque environment
• "Korea"


  The modern spelling of "Corea", a name attested in English as early as 1614. "Corea" is derived from the name of the ancient kingdom of Goryeo
• National flag


  • The white background symbolizes brightness, purity, and peace. A taegeuk is a circle of red and blue located at the center symbolizing harmony between yin and yang and the four trigrams (geon, gon, gam, and ri) represent the sky, the earth, water, and fire
• It was ruled by the Chinese and the Japanese in the past. Russia attempted to rule Korea as well
• The Japanese ousted the Chinese from Korea. However, once Japan was defeated in World War II, other nations tried to claim Korea


  US forces occupied South Korea, while Russia occupied North Korea
• The communist army tried to take over South Korea in 1950. From 1950 to 1953, 2,500,000 people died in the Korea War. They remain split and the conflict has never finished up to date
• The South desires democracy, while the North wants to remain communist
• Korea cut off relations with other nations for a long time. It wasn't until the 19th century that they opened up to free trade that foreigners could enter. North Korea, though, hasn't changed
• Hanbok


  • Traditional women's hanbok consists of jeogori, a blouse shirt or a jacket and chima, a wrap-around skirt, which is usually worn full. The ensemble is often called chima h jeogori. Men's hanbok consists of jeogori and baji which means pants in Korea. The baji were baggy pants in traditional men's hanbok
• Hanok


  • Traditional House of Korea consists of a wooden framework of columns, crossbeams, purlins, rafters, and various types of supports
• Geommu


  • Traditional korean dance also transliterated "Gummu, Kommu". A traditional sword dance, performed with special costume, dance moves, and music. The dance is known for its grace in performance
• Korean cuisine


  • Characterized by rice, noodles, vegetables, and meats, plays a significant role in the national identity, with traditional dishes like bibimbap, bulgogi, and kimchi being integral to Korean cuisine. Influenced by the geography and climate therefore there are many fermented dishes and hot soups and stews
• Religion


  • Confucian tradition
  • Buddhism
  • Taoism
  • Korean Shamanism
• The influence of traditional beliefs of Korean Shamanism, Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism have remained an underlying religion of the Korean people as well as a vital aspect of their culture; all these traditions have coexisted peacefully for hundreds of years up to today despite strong Westernization from Christian missionary conversions in the South Korea
• Korean literature


  The body of works written by Koreans, initially in Classical Chinese, later in various transcription systems using Chinese characters, and finally in Hangul, the national alphabet
• Hangul


  The official writing system for the Korean language. It was developed in the mid-15th century by King Sejong the Great. Hangul consists of 24 basic letters: 14 consonants and 10 vowels
• Hanja


  Chinese characters used in the writing of Korean. They have been used in Korean writing since the Gojoseon period. Hanja characters closely resemble traditional Japanese and traditional Chinese characters
• Categories of Korean literature


  • Works written in the early transcription systems
  • Written in Hangul
  • Written in Chinese
• Traditional poetic forms


  • Hyangga (native song)
  • Pyŏlgok, or Changga (special songs, or long poems)
  • Sijo (current melodies)
  • Kasa (verses)
• Korean prose literature


  • Narratives
  • Fiction
  • Literary miscellany
• Korean Folk tales


  • The Green Frog
  • HeungBu and NolBu
• Korean Myths and Legends


  • Never have your rice bowl on the right with your soup on the left
  • Eating seaweed soup on the day of a test will cause you to "slip" and fail. Japanese mochi will encourage the opposite, that you'll "stick" or pass the exam
• Korean Fiction


  • Geumo Sinhwa
• Oral literature


  • Gyeonmyo jaengju
• Classical Korean literature has its roots in traditional folk beliefs and folk tales of the peninsula, strongly influenced by Confucianism Buddhism and Shamanism
• Korean poems were called Hyangga
• A new form of phem developed after the Goryeo dynasty and was called shijo a three-line poem written in Hangul and gained wide acceptance
• Notable Works


  • Honggildongjeon (Tales of Hong Gil-dong, the first novel published in Hangeul)
  • P'ansori
  • Gagok (long lyrical song)
• Korean literature began as an oral tradition
• Good was rewarded and evil was punished in early Korean literature. Values like loyalty to the king, respect for elders, true friendship and chastity were emphasized
• Hyangga


  Korean poems
• Shijo


  A three-line poem written in Hangul that gained wide acceptance after the Goryeo dynasty
• Notable works of classic Korean literature


  • Honggildongjeon (Tales of Hong Gil-dong, the first novel published in Hangeul)
  • P'ansori (one-man opera)
  • Gagok (long lyrical song)
• Honggildongjeon is a work of social criticism that scathingly attacked the inequities of Joseon with its discriminatory treatment of illegitimate offspring and its differences based on wealth
• P'ansori


  • Featured a single storyteller who would unroll a grass mat as a performance space and holding a folding fan would entertain audiences with long stories, the musical parts accompanied by an assistant playing an hourglass drum (changgol)
• Gagok


  • A genre of Korean traditional vocal music accompanied by a small ensemble of Korean traditional musical instruments, using sijo (Korean traditional poetry) as lyrics
• In 1894, enough social and intellectual change had occurred that made a transition of literature from traditional to the modern Korean literature
• Western influences including literature began to seep into Korean culture and affect Korean intellectuals including writers during the transitional period
• The late Joseon period (enlightenment period) saw the development of a transitional form called sinsosol or "New Novel" that focused on issues of popular control, the importance of education, attacks on arranged marriage, and attacks on the evil of "old" beliefs, including superstition