韓·中·日 고전문학 속에 보이는 여성과 눈(雪)

Abstract

This paper is about snow used as a main theme underpinning narratives about women from ancient East Asian literature. In the Eastern world, snow was engraved on people’s minds as a symbol of serene beauty embracing all things in the universe. It enriched the world of literature and arts as it represented beauty, evoked emotions, served as a symbol, and portrayed transcendence. Its color and figure were thoughtful gifts of nature for expressing women’s beauty. It also stimulated their emotions, and connected lovers. While snow represented the pureness of their inner beauty, its cold nature also symbolized the adversity and the bleak situations they experienced. Snow falling from the sky was believed to be connected with heaven, so it was viewed as a spiritual entity providing a channel of communication between the earth and heaven and as a judge presiding over heavenly trials. Constructing narratives about women from Eastern classics, snow helped women grow and change. It was a lifelong companion for women: it provided solace and comfort to those suffering from patriarchal ideals. Though it started as an image of beauty, it developed as a tool for eliciting emotions and a symbol and became a pathfinder to transcendence.