What an interesting article! I haven't thought before that the narratives of Korean literature are folkloric, but I think you have a point.
Regarding Yi Mun-yol, I think he is a deeply troubled man inside. His father defected to North Korea due to ideological reasons, leaving his family to be persecuted in the South. Yi has become a staunch anti-communist ever since, and becoming an outspoken anti-communist in South Korea often meant being pro-Japan, pro-American and pro-authoritarian regime. Thus, his understanding of "tradition", from the way I see it, seems to be somewhat detached from the historic-political realities and many times embodied only through depictions or implications of Korea's idealized past. It is likely that he understand this himself too. There are other works where his attitude towards pre-modern traditions oscilate between scoffs and laments. Although, maybe it's not just Yi who is deeply troubled inside, but it's the whole South Korean society which went through modernization/westernization/colonization.
Oh that's really interesting. I'm even more interested now in reading more about him and more of his work. I'd love to see how he reconciles this "idealized past" with his anti-communist positioning and pro-Japan/American modernization. I've also been reading Park Nohae, and I think it would be interesting to study these two writers and their work side by side in order to engage more deeply with that idea of a troubled society pulled between tradition and modernity.
Park, who started out as a revolutionary socialist, is now a self-proclaimed "life activist" (not really sure how to translate "생명운동가"). I have some grudges against certain ex-socialists from the 80-90s. It's about the way they describe their past praxis. Hey, people can change their political opinions, but don't act as if you had been struggling for liberal democracy all the time.
I have not read Yi Mun-yol, but I am now interested - especially how you described: "It’s the way we’ve chosen to modernize, I think—without reverence for those who came before us. We eschew the traditional because it’s tradition; we embrace the modern because it’s progress."
In my time living in Korea from 2003 - 2014, I saw some of that hyper modernization from an expat's point-of-view. Even from my small window into Korean society, largely focused on Seoul, I could sense things changing.
I think you put it well having read that "Korea was trading its culture via K-pop for soft power." For me, I have been watching and re-watching Korean movies such as "봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄," "친구," "파묘." There is a certain spirit to these movies that I cannot quite identify, but it transcends the typical popular type of movies and K-dramas. I would put "파묘" with those Korean movies of the early to late 2000s in Korean cinema. There is something timeless about movies like that.
Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to the craft exercises next month!
There does seem to be a sense of nostalgia for those quieter, "timeless" days.
Many K-dramas are set on the seaside, in rural villages, and around the mountains. Hallmark-esque tropey, but layer that on with the renewed interest in 트로트, and I don't know...maybe South Koreans are quietly, maybe unconsciously, grieving the loss of traditional culture--like the narrator of "The Old Hatter" who is himself living within modernity, but diligently tells of the Old Hatter's story in a voice lightly salted with regret. Idk, it's something to think about for sure. Thanks for reading and commenting! I haven't watched any of these movies you mentioned, but now I'm curious how the dramas have changed over the years.
What an interesting article! I haven't thought before that the narratives of Korean literature are folkloric, but I think you have a point.
Regarding Yi Mun-yol, I think he is a deeply troubled man inside. His father defected to North Korea due to ideological reasons, leaving his family to be persecuted in the South. Yi has become a staunch anti-communist ever since, and becoming an outspoken anti-communist in South Korea often meant being pro-Japan, pro-American and pro-authoritarian regime. Thus, his understanding of "tradition", from the way I see it, seems to be somewhat detached from the historic-political realities and many times embodied only through depictions or implications of Korea's idealized past. It is likely that he understand this himself too. There are other works where his attitude towards pre-modern traditions oscilate between scoffs and laments. Although, maybe it's not just Yi who is deeply troubled inside, but it's the whole South Korean society which went through modernization/westernization/colonization.
Oh that's really interesting. I'm even more interested now in reading more about him and more of his work. I'd love to see how he reconciles this "idealized past" with his anti-communist positioning and pro-Japan/American modernization. I've also been reading Park Nohae, and I think it would be interesting to study these two writers and their work side by side in order to engage more deeply with that idea of a troubled society pulled between tradition and modernity.
Park, who started out as a revolutionary socialist, is now a self-proclaimed "life activist" (not really sure how to translate "생명운동가"). I have some grudges against certain ex-socialists from the 80-90s. It's about the way they describe their past praxis. Hey, people can change their political opinions, but don't act as if you had been struggling for liberal democracy all the time.
That's another interesting perspective! Looks like I have many more rabbit holes to dig into!
I have not read Yi Mun-yol, but I am now interested - especially how you described: "It’s the way we’ve chosen to modernize, I think—without reverence for those who came before us. We eschew the traditional because it’s tradition; we embrace the modern because it’s progress."
In my time living in Korea from 2003 - 2014, I saw some of that hyper modernization from an expat's point-of-view. Even from my small window into Korean society, largely focused on Seoul, I could sense things changing.
I think you put it well having read that "Korea was trading its culture via K-pop for soft power." For me, I have been watching and re-watching Korean movies such as "봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄," "친구," "파묘." There is a certain spirit to these movies that I cannot quite identify, but it transcends the typical popular type of movies and K-dramas. I would put "파묘" with those Korean movies of the early to late 2000s in Korean cinema. There is something timeless about movies like that.
Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to the craft exercises next month!
There does seem to be a sense of nostalgia for those quieter, "timeless" days.
Many K-dramas are set on the seaside, in rural villages, and around the mountains. Hallmark-esque tropey, but layer that on with the renewed interest in 트로트, and I don't know...maybe South Koreans are quietly, maybe unconsciously, grieving the loss of traditional culture--like the narrator of "The Old Hatter" who is himself living within modernity, but diligently tells of the Old Hatter's story in a voice lightly salted with regret. Idk, it's something to think about for sure. Thanks for reading and commenting! I haven't watched any of these movies you mentioned, but now I'm curious how the dramas have changed over the years.