Hero’s Journey in Korean Confucian Historiography: Biographies of Kim Yusin and Kungye in the Context of J . Campbell’s Monomyth

Abstract

For the first time in Russian (and world) Korean studies, biographies of real historical characters are analyzed within the framework of the concept of monomyth (or hero's journey) coined by Joseph Campbell. Previously, such an approach was practiced only in the study of narrative prose. This paper focuses on practical evaluation of monomyth as a prism with regard to Confucian chronicles. Critical analysis of the text showed us to conclude that the concept of monomyth is quite suitable — with some reservations — for describing the historical narrative of the biographical section of the Confucian chronicle Samguk sagi (Historical Record of the Three Kingdoms). The research revealed life paths of the chosen hero, who embodies the ideal of a loyal subject, and his antagonist generally follow the three-part model proposed by Campbell (departure — initiation — return). This allows us to conclude that a powerful autochthonous Korean cultural stratum contributed to the formation of a specific syncretic worldview in Korea during the Three States and United Silla period (traditional dates: 1st century B.C. — 10th century A.D.), which integrated Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism into a single system and was reflected in the official chronicle compiled in the 12th century. The Confucian historiographer's representation of these substrates (given a certain ability of these teachings to assimilate each other's concepts) was cemented by myth, which, together with the Confucian canon, set the principles of text organization, plot models, and ways of presenting historical events. The susceptibility of Korean Confucianism at this historical stage to mythology allowed mythological cosmology to integrate quite easily into the Confucian world-building narrative, and to deal with subjects that were previously considered taboo for Confucian ethics in classical Orientalism, such as the manifestations of the Oedipus complex. The interpretation of history as a moral and ethical drama brings official Confucian historiography closer to political myth in its modern interpretation and allows us to evaluate the historical text in a new way.