Korean literature

Korean literature is the body of literature produced by Koreans, mostly in the Korean language and
sometimes in Classical Chinese. For much of Korea’s 1,500 years of literary history, it was written in
Hanja. It is commonly divided into classical and modern periods, although this distinction is sometimes
unclear. Korea is home to the world’s first metal and copper type, the world’s earliest known printed
document and the world’s first featural script.

Korean literature

Korean literature, the body of works written by Koreans, at first in Classical Chinese, later in various
transcription systems using Chinese characters, and finally in Hangul (Korean: han’gŭl; Hankul in the Yale
romanization), the national alphabet.

Although Korea has had its own language for several thousand years, it has had a writing system only
since the mid-15th century, when Hangul was invented. As a result, early literary activity was in Chinese
characters. Korean scholars were writing poetry in the traditional manner of Classical Chinese at least by
the 4th century CE. A national academy was established shortly after the founding of the Unified Silla
dynasty (668–935), and, from the time of the institution of civil service examinations in the mid-10th
century until their abolition in 1894, every educated Korean read the Confucian Classics and Chinese
histories and literature. The Korean upper classes were therefore bilingual in a special sense: they spoke
Korean but wrote in Chinese.

By the 7th century a system, called idu, had been devised that allowed Koreans to make rough
transliterations of Chinese texts. Eventually, certain Chinese characters were used for their phonetic
value to represent Korean particles of speech and inflectional endings. A more extended system of
transcription, called hyangch’al, followed shortly thereafter, in which entire sentences in Korean could
be written in Chinese. In another system, kugyŏl, abridged versions of Chinese characters were used to
denote grammatical elements and were inserted into texts during transcription. Extant literary works
indicate, however, that before the 20th century much of Korean literature was written in Chinese rather
than in Korean, even after the invention of Hangul.

In general, then, literature written in Korea falls into three categories: works written in the early
transcription systems, those written in Hangul, and those written in Chinese.

Traditional Forms And Genres

Poetry

There are four major traditional poetic forms: hyangga (“native songs”); pyŏlgok (“special songs”), or
changga (“long poems”); sijo (“current melodies”); and kasa (“verses”). Other poetic forms that
flourished briefly include the kyŏnggi style in the 14th and 15th centuries and the akchang (“words for
songs”) in the 15th century. The most representative akchang is Yongbi ŏch’ŏn ka (1445–47; “Songs of
Flying Dragons”), a cycle compiled in praise of the founding of the Chosŏn (Yi) dynasty. Korean poetry
originally was meant to be sung, and its forms and styles reflect its melodic origins. The basis of its
prosody is a line of alternating groups of three or four syllables, probably the most natural rhythm to the
language.

The oldest poetic form is the hyangga, poems transcribed in the hyangch’al system, dating from the
middle period of the Unified Silla dynasty to the early period of the Koryŏ dynasty (935–1392). The
poems were written in four, eight, or 10 lines; the 10-line form—comprising two four-line stanzas and a
concluding two-line stanza—was the most popular. The poets were either Buddhist monks or members
of the Hwarangdo, a school in which chivalrous youth were trained in civil and military virtues in
preparation for state service. Seventeen of the 25 extant hyangga are Buddhist in inspiration and
content.

The pyŏlgok, or changga, flourished during the middle and late Koryŏ period. It is characterized by a
refrain either in the middle or at the end of each stanza. The refrain establishes a mood or tone that
carries the melody and spirit of the poem or links a poem composed of discrete parts with differing
contents. The theme of most of these anonymous poems is love, the joys and torments of which are
expressed in frank and powerful language. The poems were sung to musical accompaniments chiefly by
women entertainers known as kisaeng.

The sijo is the longest-enduring and most popular form of Korean poetry. Although some poems are
attributed to writers of the late Koryŏ dynasty, the sijo is primarily a poetic form of the Chosŏn dynasty
(1392–1910). Sijo are three-line poems in which each line has 14 to 16 syllables and the total number of
syllables seldom exceeds 45. Each line consists of groups of four syllables. Sijo may deal with Confucian
ethical values, but there are also many poems about nature and love. The principal writers of sijo in the
first half of the Chosŏn dynasty were members of the Confucian upper class (yangban) and the kisaeng.
In the latter part of the Chosŏn dynasty, a longer form called sasŏl sijo (“narrative sijo”) evolved. The
writers of this form were mainly common people; hence, the subject matter included more down-to-
earth topics such as trade and corruption as well as the traditional topic of love. In addition, sasŏl sijo
frequently employed slang, vulgar language, and onomatopoeia.

The kasa developed at about the same time as the sijo. In its formative stage, kasa borrowed the form of
the Chinese tz’u (lyric poetry) or fu (rhymed prose). The kasa tends to be much longer than other forms
of Korean poetry and is usually written in balanced couplets. Either line of a couplet is divided into two
groups, the first having three or four syllables and the second having four syllables. The history of the
kasa is divided into two periods, the division being marked by the Japanese invasion of 1592–97. During
the earlier period the poem was generally about 100 lines long and dealt with such subjects as female
beauty, war, and seclusion. The writers were usually yangban. During the later period the poem tended
to be longer and to concern itself with moral instruction, travel accounts, banishment, and the writer’s
personal misfortunes. The later writers were usually commoners.

Immediately after the founding of the Chosŏn dynasty at the end of the 14th century and the
establishment of the new capital in Seoul, a small group of poetic songs called akchang was written to
celebrate the beginning of the new dynasty. In its earliest examples the form of akchang was
comparatively free, borrowing its style from early Chinese classical poetry. Whereas the early akchang
are generally short, the later Yongbi ŏch’ŏn ka consists of 125 cantos.

The Tale of Chunhyang

There once was a

Gisaeng

, or female musician/entertainer, namedWolmae, who lived in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do. The

Gisaeng

Class,although usually refined and cultured, were viewed with contempt bythe noble and upper classes.
Wolmae, eager to escape her low status,worked her way into the heart of a civil minister, who
eventually tookher as his second wife. Wolmae then gave birth to a daughter whomshe named
hunhyang, meaning !scent of spring.” #ome $% yearslater, &I ‘ong-ryong, the son of the district
magistrate, was out for awalk, taking in the spring beauty, when he spotted a girl on a swing.#he was
the loveliest sight he(d ever be held. )esperate to meet thelovely woman, ‘ong-ryong sent his servant to
arrange a meeting withher. *lthough reluctant at first, hunhyang agreed to meet her suitorat
+wanghallu avilion, a popular leisure spot. *lthough hunhyangremained aloof, ‘ong-ryong was wholly
smitten. e instantly decidedhe wanted to marry her, and went to Wolmae to ask for permission.*ware
that marrying into a prestigious family could lead to a better

Life, Wolmae gave her full approval. onstricting traditions, however,prevented ‘ong-ryong from
wedding until he passed the civil servicee am. ortunately, however, hunhyang eventually saw the
sincerity of ‘ong-ryong(s passion and fell in love with him. or a sweet, shortwhile, the two lived a
happy, peaceful e istence while ‘ong-ryongstudied for his e am. Then one day, ‘ong-ryong(s father
broughtmisfortune to the loving couple by getting promoted to a position in#eoul, re0uiring him and his
family to relocate. 1ecause hunhyangwas the daughter of a
Gisaeng

, ‘ong-ryong(s father made it very clearthat they couldn(t risk their family honor by taking her with
them.#oaked in tears, ‘ong-ryong and hunhyang embraced each otherand said their goodbyes,
promising to remain true until their reunion.’ong-ryong vowed to pass his e ams, earn a respectable
title andcome back to marry hunhyang with honor. 2pon leaving, ‘ong-ryong(s father was soon
replaced by a new magistrate, 1yeon ak-do,who was greedy and licentious. e ignored his duties and
e ploited thelocal population to feed his private appetites. *fter witnessing

hunhyang(s beauty, he demanded that she sleep with him, but sheadamantly refused, declaring she
had only one true love. 3nfuriated, ak-do tortured her and threw her in prison. *fter a few months,
4ustas hunhyang was on the verge of death, ‘ong-ryong returned, with arespectful title as he had
promised. 1efore ousting ak-do and freeingseveral political prisoners, he disguised himself as a
homeless man andapproached hunhyang to see how she(d treat him. #he was polite andkind, but
made it very clear that she had only one true love. When’ong-ryong finally revealed himself, the two
lovers kissed andembraced each other, re4oicing in their reunion. *fter righting thewrongs of ak-do,
‘ong-ryong made hunhyang his official bride andtook her with him to #eoul, where the king rewarded
‘ong-ryong(saccomplishments with a promotion. They lived happily ever after.
 Assignment
in
English

Submitted by:
Shinwha Y. Fuentes
Submitted to:
Sir milendo