[note:  McCune Reischauer diacritical marks have been removed]
Literature 61    Spring 1993
Modern Korean Literature and Society

W  1:15-4:00               Parrish 370

Professor:
Stephen Epstein (328-5765).  Please feel free to call anytime up until 10 p.m.
Office: Parrish 200 (x8372).
Office Hours: TTh 9:45-11:15, W 10:30-11:30 and by appointment.
Messages may be left for me at home or in the Classics Department office in
the Parrish Annex (x8165).

        In this course we will examine the literature of Korea in the
twentieth century as a vehicle for understanding the history, culture and
society of this complex and unique land; no prior knowledge of Korea or the
Korean language is assumed.  Although our main focus will be literary, we
will also read supplementary material culled from sources in the social
sciences.  Among the major issues we will be exploring this semester are
colonialism, nationalism, class and gender relationships, the Korean war
and the national division, the impact of radical social and economic change
on literature, and the writing of North Korea.  We will also consider
issues closer to home: Korea's relationship with the United States, works
by Korean-American authors, and literary reflections of the tension between
those of African and those of Korean descent.

Grading and Course Requirements:
Final Exam: 1/3
Two Short (Four to Six Page) Papers: 1/3
Class Preparation and Participation: 1/3

        Careful preparation is essential.  Although the class is not a
seminar per se, it will be conducted in a modified seminar format and will
lay particular emphasis on discussion.  I ask that each of you come to
class prepared to comment on every story we read.  Always try to begin by
asking yourself two questions: 1) How does this work function as a piece of
literature? (Consider, e.g., structure, images, characterization, theme,
and symbol). 2) What does this work convey about Korea, i.e., how does it
fit into a cultural context?  Do not be afraid to interact with the text on
a personal basis: to ask what you like/dislike about the work and why is
not only legitimate but essential.  It is my sincere hope that many of the
stories we read will provoke a powerful response from you, whether it be
sadness, anger or joy.  A major goal of our discussions will be to arrive
at an understanding of our assumptions when we study other cultures.  Can
we define identity?  What does it mean to be "Korean"? To be
"Korean-American"? What is "Korean" literature?
        Each student will be responsible for introducing a unit with a
short (approximately five to ten minutes) talk and leading discussion four
or five times during the semester.  I ask that you prepare a selection of
discussion questions (minimum of three and maximum of five) one week
beforehand.  Two short papers (4-6 pages), which may grow out of your
presentations to the class, will be required during the course of the
semester.  You may substitute a translation of a short story for one of
these papers.  Consult with me well in advance, however, if you are
interested in this option.  The final exam will require you to identify
both passages we have read and important terms which have come up during
the course.  There will also be two long essay questions (45-60 minutes
each) out of a choice of several.

Required Texts:
Choi In-hun, The Square
Carter J. Eckert, et al., Korea, Old and New
Bruce and Ju-chan Fulton, Words of Farewell
Hwang Sun-won, Shadows of A Sound
Hwang Sun-won, The Book of Masks
Richard Kim, Lost Names
Peter Lee, Modern Korean Literature: An Anthology (MKL)
Yun Heung-gil, The House of Twilight

Unfortunately, the nature of the field is such that many materials are
either unavailable in this country or are out of print.  I will be
distributing several xeroxes (at cost) and recommend that you get a binder
to keep track of these in a systematic fashion.  All books may be purchased
at the college bookstore and are on reserve at McCabe.  I have also placed
on reserve the folowing:

Reserve List:

Gregory Henderson, Korea: The Politics of the Vortex
Hwang Sun-won, The Moving Castle
Hwang Sun-won, Sunlight, Moonlight
Laurel Kendall, Shamans, Housewives and Other Restless Spirits
Kim Chi-ha The Gold-Crowned Jesus
Kim Chi-ha, The Middle Hour
Chong-un Kim, Postwar Korean Short Stories
Edward Kim, Korea Beyond the Hills
Kim Il-song, For the Peaceful Reunification of Korea
Kim Ronyoung, Clay Walls
Ko Won, Contemporary Korean Poetry
Peter Lee, Flowers of Fire
Marshall R. Pihl, Listening to Korea
Yi Ki-Baek, A New History of Korea
Eui-Young Yu and Earl H. Phillips, Korean Women in Transition

Semester schedule:

Week 1  General Introduction to the Course

1/20    Hyon Chin-gon, "Fire"
        Hwang Sun-won,"Cranes"
        O Chong-hui, "Morning Star"
        Boyd Gibbons, "The South Koreans" (National Geographic, 8/88)

Week 2  The Beginnings of "Modern" Korean Literature

1/27    Introduction to MKL, pp. xv-xxii.
        1. Yi Kwang-su: "Mujong" (MKL); "Halmum"; "Mystery Woman"
        2. Hyon Chin-gon: "A Lucky Day"; "The Death of my Grandmother"
        3. Kim Tong-in:  "Potato" (MKL); "The Letter and the Photograph"
        4. Poetry: Kim So-wol; Han Yong-un (in MKL)
        Korea: Old and New: Chap. 14 and 15 (You may skim much of these
chapters, but read pp. 241-253, 262-264 and 273-275
carefully).

Week 3  The Japanese Occupation (I)

2/3     1. Cho Myong-hui: "Nakdong-kang"
        2. Sim Hun: "The Mulberry Tree and the Children" (MKL)
        3. Yi Hyo-sok: "The Buckwheat Season" (MKL)
        4. Kye Yong-muk: "Adada the Idiot"
        5. Kim Yu-jong: "The Camellias"
        6. Chu Yo-sop: "The Guest in My Mom's House"    
        Korea: Old and New:  Chap. 16

Week 4  The Japanese Occupation (II)

2/10    1. Richard Kim, Lost Names
        2. Yi Sang: "Wings" (MKL);  "Meetings and Farewells"; selected poems
        3. Ch'ae Man-shik: "My Idiot Uncle"
        Korea: Old and New: Chap. 17

Week 5  The Literature of Division (I): Responses to Tragedy

2/17    1. O Sang-won, "A Respite" (MKL)
        2. Ha Kun-chan: "The Suffering of Two Generations"
        3. O Yong-Su: "Nami and the Taffyman"; "Seaside Village"; "The Bird
of Passage"
        4. Sonu Hwi: "Thoughts of Home" (MKL);  "Flowers of Fire"
        Korea: Old and New: Chap. 18

Week 6  The Literature of Division (II): The Lost Generation

2/24    1. Choi In-hun: The Square;
        2. Kim Yisok: "The Cuckoo" (MKL)
        3. Yi Pom-son: "A Stray Bullet"
        4. Chon Kwangyong: "Kapitan Lee"

Week 7  The 60's: Turmoil, Alienation, Despair

3/3     1. Han Mu-suk: "Among the Marching Columns"
        2. Kim Song-ok: "Winter, Seoul 1964" (MKL)
        3. Yi Ch'ong-jun: "Target" (MKL); "The Dream of A Mask"
        4. Choi In-hun: "The Grey Club" (MKL) ;  "My Idol's Abode"
        Korea: Old and New: Chap. 19: pp. 347-367
        FIRST PAPER DUE

vacation

Week 8  The 70's & 80's: Modernization, Dissidents and North Korea

3/17    (Possible guest lecture: David McCann?)
        1. Cho Se-hui: "A Small Ball Launched by a Dwarf" (MKL)
           Yi Mungu: "The Ballad of Kalmori" (MKL)
        2. Yun Yong: "Yankee, Go Home"  Selections from Kim Chi-ha
        3. North Korean literature:
        Kim Chong-min, "The Gift of Life"
        Chang Ki-song, "Our Teacher"
        Selections from Kim Il-song
        Excerpt from Korea Today: "The Korean War Led To Victory"

        John Lie on "Democracy and its Discontents"
        Korea: Old and New: Chap. 19: 368-387; Chap. 20

3/21 7:30 P.M.  Korean Film Festival: "Chil-su and Man-su"

Week 9  The Worlds of Hwang Sun-won

3/24    Selections from Shadows of A Sound and The Book of Masks (tba)

7:30 P.M.       Korean Film Festival: "Adada"

Week 10 Hwang Sun-won (cont.); Kim Tong-ni

3/31    1.Hwang Sun-won (cont.- assignment tba)
        2.Kim Tong-ni: "Portrait of a Shaman"; "Father and Son"; "The Rock"
(MKL)
        Chai-sik Chung on religion, "Korea: The Continuing Syncretism"

Week 11 Yun Heung-gil

4/7     The House of Twilight
        Videos: "Samulnori"; "Shamanism in Korea"

Week 12 Women Writers (I):

4/14    Guest Lecturer: Bruce Fulton
        Words of Farewell (all by Kang Sok-kyong and O Chong-hui)
        (optional: O Chong-hui: "The Bronze Mirror"  in MKL)

Week 13           Women Writers (II):

4/21    1. Pak Wan-so: "How I Kept Our House While My Husband Was Away"; 
                       "The Crying of an Earthworm"; 
                       "The Good Luck Ritual";
        2. Han Mal-Suk: "The Rainy Season"
        3. Kang Shin-jae: "Another Eve" (MKL);
        4. Pak Sun-nyo: "I Love You"
        5. Kim Chi-won: "A Certain Beginning" (in Words of Farewell)
        6. Eui Young Yu on "Women in Traditional and Modern Korea"

Week 14         Views of America; Black/Korean relations:

4/28    1. Choi In-ho: "The Deep Dark Night" (?)
           Pak Wan-so: "A Pasque Flower on that Bleak Day"
           Song Pyong-su: "Shorty Kim"

        2. Ty Pak: "Guilt Payment"
           Kichung Kim: "America, America"
           Ann Choi: "His Biography"
           Cathy Song: "Picture Bride"; "The Youngest Daughter"

        3. Song Ki-jo: "Black, White and Yellow"
        4. Chon Sang-guk: "Ahbe's Family"
           Choi Il-nam: "The Fellow Travelers"
           Choi In-hoon: Excerpt from A Grey Man

                        Overview and Review
                        SECOND PAPER DUE

4/30                    ? Dinner at Myong Il Jang

Finally, remember, this class is your class as well.  The primary objective
is for you to develop and/or increase your appreciation and understanding
of Korean literature and culture.  I welcome suggestions, criticisms, etc.
concerning our progress to this goal at any time.