Korean Folktale Research Articles

구비공식구로 본 <새끼 서 발> 설화의 인물 성격과 서사적 의미

This provides an in-depth analysis of the characters and narrative significance of the Korean folktale Saekki Seo-Bal(An Unfinished Short Straw Rope) focusing on the oral-formulaic phrases of characters “Eating a meal in the warmer part and pooping in the colder part in the same room.” This oral-formulaic phrase, “Eating a meal in the warmer part and pooping in the colder part in the same room,” is fixedly and regularly combined with the folktales Saekki Seo-Bal and Chamkkaenamu(Sesame Tree). Therefore, the characters in the two folktales were named “Saekki Seo-Bal” type characters.
 The oral-formulaic phrase which appears in the character of Saekki Seo-Bal, is an essential binding element of the introductory narrative structure, linking to the success narrative of the ending section. This oral-formulaic phrase is not a rhetorical expression representing the character’s lazy behavior but a metaphorical expression of the character's deliberation or plan ahead of his social initiation. In other words, it defines the protagonist as an active person with emergent thinking who prepares to become independent from his mother and move into the world rather than as a problematic person with a lazy personality. This study interprets the folktale Saekki Seo-Bal, which is combined with the oral-formulaic phrase “Eating a Meal in the Warmer Part and Pooping in the Colder Part in the Same Room” as an initiation tale depicting a son growing from an individual to a social being.
 The social initiation process of characters consists of three stages: the preparatory stage for initiation, the stage of accumulating experiences and growth, and finally, social approval. In the first stage, characters prepare for social initiation through acts of oral-formulaic phrases. They demonstrate qualities as beginners in society by engaging in activities with materials provided by the community, such as “twisting straw ropes” in Saekki Seo-Bal and “sowing seeds” in Chamkkaenamu. The second stage appears in the narrative where the protagonist acquires the maiden who will become his wife through continuous bartering, starting with the “Saekki Seo-Bal.” Therefore, the character accumulates experience in solving problems in relationships with various others and grows into a social being with experience narratives that can solve any problem. In the third stage, the character’s abilities are tested through a “riddle bet” while returning to the community with the maiden who will become his wife. He eventually protects his wife and gains the approval of the social community as a marriage ritual.

가족관계 단절 문제에 대한 부모되찾기 설화의 문학치료적 역할

This study focuses on ‘the Problem of Family Relationship Breakdown’ of Jangmadang Generation North Korean refugees. I designed what kind of psychotherapeutic effect Korean Folktale could have. Because the Jangmadang Generation chose to defect from North Korea to overcome social and personal limitations, they are experiencing more complex conflicts regarding their relationship with their North Korean family. Therefore, I proposed a literary therapy plan to them to think about ‘how do I understand my parents’ life, and what kind of life do I want to live now?’ In this literature therapy, stories of Recovering Parents can be applied. These works contain the epic structure of ‘support after growth’ and special Motifs that enable emotional connection with parents. North Korean refugees can imagine ways to relieve the pain of broken family relationships through emotional connection without giving up the advantages gained through parental pushing away. Further more, this study presented a case of literary therapy using the folktales 〈Live in My Fortune〉 and 〈The Prayer of Past Life Parents〉. North Korean refugees deeply understood the two folktales and reinterpreted the meaning of the works by connecting them to their own lives. In this case, it was confirmed that the two folktales played a role in representing their lives and imagining a positive future.

Embodying Ethnic and Settler Identities: An Analysis of the English-Language Korean Play Sim Cheong (1938) in Hawai'i

Abstract: In 1938, Koreans in Hawai'i premiered an English-language play, Sim Cheong ( Sim Chung ), at the Honolulu Academy of Arts to celebrate the Korean Spring Festival. Sim Cheong is an adaptation by a second-generation Korean of a cherished Korean folktale, The Story of Sim Cheong , emphasizing filial piety. This study uses Sim Cheong to examine the cultural milieu of 1930s Hawai'i and the complex identities interwoven within the Korean diaspora, revealing efforts by Koreans to preserve their ethnic pride while creating a sense of closeness with the white upper class. The adaptation signalled a dramaturgical shift from the original story, often framed in the context of Confucianism and Buddhism, to a theatrical production incorporating musical performances and revised storylines. This shift is encapsulated in the contrast between the play's downplaying of the boat scene, commonly regarded as pivotal in illustrating the protagonist's commitment to filial piety, and accentuation of the scene depicting the initial encounter between Sim Cheong and the King, presenting independent and diverse elements of Korean culture and conveying undertones of Christian belief. Through this analysis of local political, social, and cultural realms, this study identifies dual identities existing in the Korean diaspora surpassing the confines of a generic pan-ethnic Asian American identity, unraveling the intricate interplay between the preservation of ethnic pride and the imperative of assimilation within the broader sociocultural landscape.

(De)territorializing Madness

Throughout the twentieth century, the traditional South Korean folktale “Janghwa Hongryeon jeon” (The Story of Janghwa and Hongryeon) has been reiterated and reinterpreted in several textual narratives and filmic adaptations (Kim Kyu Hyun; Leung 173). The article examines two recent film reimaginings of this story—Kim Jee-woon’s 2002 South Korean A Tale of Two Sisters, and The Guard Brothers’ 2009 American remake, The Uninvited. Using poststructuralist and feminist disability theory, the argument is that Su-mi in Sisters and Anna in Uninvited are both subjected to the biopolitical apparatuses of control imposed by the societal norms of compulsory able-bodiedness (McRuer 8). Su-mi and Anna seek deterritorialization from the diagnosis of mental illness by engaging in creative acts of multiplicity, or what Gilles Deleuze describes as becoming-other (44). Anna uses her hybridity to engage in transgressive acts which paradoxically stabilize the social order of the nuclear family. Although Anna’s madness challenges the stability of normativity, her actions demonstrate that protecting the symbolic heteronormativity of the family trumps her emancipation. Conversely, Su-mi deterritorializes from subservience and resists the medicalization of her mind and body. Su-mi lacks the ethical response from those around her and thus fails to receive the care she requires. The lack of recognition or care from others ultimately leads to her re-institutionalization and the perpetuation of surveillance.

비극형 우렁색시 설화의 전설적 특성과 현실 인식

In this paper, I examined 38 tragic versions of ‘Snail Maiden(우렁색시)''. These are divided into ‘(A) male and female transformation type’, ‘(B) breakup type’, and ‘(C) remarriage type’ according to the pattern of the ending. In type (B), which was recorded relatively later, ‘seogi (瑞气)’ is replaced by beauty, etc., and taboo motifs are omitted, showing a secularization aspect in which the mystic pixels are reduced or omitted. In ‘Snail Maiden(우렁색시)'', the injustice of the powerful taking the wife of a man from the lower classes is denounced. In the face of the tragic situation of tyranny of those in power, the mystic divine aspects in dark poetry such as ‘coming down from the sky(적강, 謫降)’, ‘the notion of Dragon Palace’ and ‘mysterious energy(서기)’ are powerless and play a role in heightening the tragic situation. In the simple type and the overcoming hardship type, which are the marriage types, they provide comfort in a harmonious world where fantasy and transcendent power help the protagonist to lead to a happy ending. However, in the tragic type, divine power is frustrated by the violence of the world. Through the image of the world that does not meet the resentment and expectations of the self, the tragic type depicts the suffering self as dwarfed in the face of the violence of the world. It is believed that the existence of the tragic form up to the 38 versions has helped to bring us to a fuller understanding of life by making us wary of a world where lawlessness and violence are rampant. The Korean folktale tradition group was able to gain hope and comfort through the relationship-type of ‘Snail Maiden(우렁색시)'', and at the same time, could be wary of the dangers and evil circumstances that exist in human life through the tragic versions of it.

A study on intercultural education using the motif of the ‘maternal image with eating up’ from the Korean folktale of “Sister and Brother Who Became the Sun and the Moon” and the Kyrgyzstani immigrants’ folktale of “Grandmother with Copper Fingernails and Two Girls”

본 논의는 서로 다른 문화를 받아들이는 과정의 고통과 불안을 줄이고 자문화와 타문화를 모두 긍정하며 서로의 차이를 소통해가는 태도를 형성하기 위해, 각 나라의 문화를 반영하고 있는 구비설화 속 화소의 유사한 의미를 활용하여 친밀함을 형성하고, 이후에 이질적 화소의 차이를 매개로 이주민들이 정체성으로 겪는 불안과 혼란을 넘어설 수 있는 준거를 확장해가는, 5단계의 상호문화교육의 과정을 제시했다. 이를 구체화하기 위해 한국민담인 〈해와 달이 된 오누이〉와 키르기스스탄 출신의 이주민이 구술한 〈구리할머니와 두 소녀〉를 비교연구 대상으로 했다. 두 설화의 ‘엄마 옷을 입은 호랑이’와 ‘구리할머니’는 전세계설화에서 나타나는 ‘잡아먹는 모성상(母性象)’의 화소로, 희생하는 엄마를 잡아먹고 아이들까지 잡아먹으려고 한다. 아이들은 이들과 대면하여 공포를 경험하지만, 이를 계기로 공간을 이동하게 되면서 성장의 상징적 도약을 이뤄내게 된다. 이때 두 소녀는 오누이와 다르게 세 번의 모성을 다시 경험하는 차이가 있는데, 이를 희생하는 엄마와 잡아먹는 모성의 대립을 넘어설 수 있는 관계 확장의 사회적 모성으로 해석하였고, 다문화가정에서 겪는 자녀교육에 대한 불안을 사회적 모성의 준거로 해결해 가야 함을 제시했다.

The method and practice of storytelling using story grammar of the Korean folktale ‘Sworn Brothers’

The method and practice of storytelling using story grammar of the Korean folktale ‘Sworn Brothers’

미야자키 하야오의 『센과 치히로의 행방불명』과 한국 전래동화 『심청전』의 비교연구

미야자키 하야오의 『센과 치히로의 행방불명』과 한국 전래동화 『심청전』의 비교연구

The Meaning of Death Crisis and Adolescent Sex Identity in a Korean Folktale

구비설화 <과거 길의 죽을 수 세 번>은 한 아이가 점쟁이를 통해 과것길에 죽을 위기가 있다는 것을 미리 알게 되어, 죽을 고비를 넘기는 이야기이다. 이 때 구비설화는 주인공은 아버지를 일찍 여의고 홀어머니와 살았다는 설정이 나타났다. 10대 중, 후반의 나이가 되자 주인공은 과것길을 떠나게 되는데, 이때 세 번의 죽을 위기를 맞이한다. 그런데 구비설화의 대부분의 각편에서 주인공은 과것길에서 세 번의 죽음의 위기를 맞이한다. 이 때 주인공의 문제 상황은 모두 ‘성(性)’과 관련이 있었다. 다시 말해 구비설화의 세 사건은 소년이 과것길에서 만나는 모든 사람들과 ‘성’을 매개로 문제 상황이 생성된다는 점이고, 그는 바로 죽음과 관련이 있다. 구비설화 <과거 길의 죽을 수 세 번>은 성적인 문제가 한 사람의 죽음의 문제와 긴밀히 연관되어 있음을 의미한다. 구비설화는 우리의 삶에서 청소년기의 성적 욕망의 제어와 성정체성 획득이 성장에 있어 중요한 요소임을 죽음의 위기라는 소재를 통해 밝히고 있다. 특히 부모에게서 떠나 남녀관계로 나아갈 때, 쾌락과 욕망을 제어하고 인간적 교감을 확인하는 일은 성장에서 중요한 핵심 과제라고 할 수 있다. 인간적 교감이 이루어지지 않은 상태에서 진행되는 성관계는 당사자를 죽음, 즉 파국으로 몰아갈 수 있다는 것을 설화는 구전을 통해 사람들에게 알려주고 있는 것이다.“A three-time death penalty” is a Korean folktale that tells the story of a fatherless boy who encounters three death situations on his way to an exam. The boy then overcomes his fate to die with the help of a fortuneteller. The three crisis situations the boy faces in the folktale have something in common: all have sex as a focal point. The boy deals with a gender-related problem on the way to the test, implying that the sexual act is directly connected to death. Therefore, the story tells us that the problem of adolescent sex is related to death. Through the subject of death, people convey the importance of controlling sexual desire in adolescence and acquiring a sexual identity in their lives. This is pecially true when they leave their parents and form a relationship, a situation in which control of sexual desire is important. Furthermore, it is important to identify the human connection.

설화 아카이브의 현황 분석과 활용 방안

설화 아카이브의 현황 분석과 활용 방안

“You Don’t Know Even a Rat’s Penis” :Study on a Korean Folk Tale in thePerspective of Analytical Psychology

“You Don’t Know Even a Rat’s Penis” :Study on a Korean Folk Tale in thePerspective of Analytical Psychology

&lt;인정루&gt;의 ‘고담(古談)’에 나타난 한국 전통설화 변용양상에 관한 연구

It can be seen that Injeongru follows the form of oral literary style, which tells old story by using various traditional stories of Korea, such as classical novels, myths, legends and folk tales. This study explores how Koryoin writer Moon, Geum－dong is creatively inheriting and developing traditional Korean folktale, along with the subject consciousness centering on ‘Old tale’ in his works. In Old tale, he portrays the desire to realize the social ideal of equality and the individual ideal of happiness in the family at the same time and criticizing the feudal order system by dramatizing Korean classical fables that overcome crisis by using tact. It also reveals the anti－imperialist view by transforming Kim, Seon－dal’s tale of ‘laughing’ and ‘antics’ into a story of Kim, Sat－gat selling the flock of Dumangang Ducks and the Daedonggang water to the Japanese rich.BR Old tale is not only for the audience’s satisfaction, but also a pathway for the realization of his ideals. It is also related to the life of a writer. Even in difficult situations, Moon, Geum－dong performed Korean speaking and writing simultaneously through Old tale writing. Human feeling, the realization of humanity, the realistic responses of the characters reveal, and the endings of encouraging good and punishing evil drawn by laughter is the writer’s own wish and self－healing method through self－talk. In the future, we should extend these discussions and examine how the history of Korean tradition and immigration are revealed by examining the relation between Russian literature and Western classical literature. This will contribute to reveal the intellectual history of the Koryoin literature along with the aesthetic characteristics of Moon, Geum－dong literature.

Narrative structures in Korean folktales: A comparative analysis of Korean and English versions

AbstractA narrative is a sequence of connected events arranged by a narrator. Folktales are a genre of narrative stories that every cultural community possesses. They have spread through verbal storytelling rather than written formal texts and reflect cultural beliefs, cultural identity, traditions and social customs. In this paper, I comparatively analyse the narrative structure of two versions of Korean folktale stories: the original Korean version and their English versions rewritten by American writers. The results of the analysis reveal that a modification in narrative structure occurs during the process of trans-creating folktales into a different language to appeal to a target audience that has a different cultural background. The results of my analysis show that the story schemata of folktale stories and story patterns vary between cultures, reflecting the different cultural orientation of each audience.

Reading Korean Folk Tale Picture Books with the Perspective of Sustainable Developmental Early Childhood Education

Reading Korean Folk Tale Picture Books with the Perspective of Sustainable Developmental Early Childhood Education

A study on the Korean folktale of the elementary school textbook(2009 Revision)

A study on the Korean folktale of the elementary school textbook(2009 Revision)

Men’s and Women’s Experience and Consciousness in Korean Folktale, Jinegaksi(지네각시 설화)

Men’s and Women’s Experience and Consciousness in Korean Folktale, Jinegaksi(지네각시 설화)

Women’s Schema and Trauma in Korean Folktale, GureongDeongDeong SinSeonBi

Women’s Schema and Trauma in Korean Folktale, GureongDeongDeong SinSeonBi

A Study on Trends and Directions of the Research of Korean Folktale Education

A Study on Trends and Directions of the Research of Korean Folktale Education

A Comparative Study of the Affinities between the Korean Folktale of “the Serpent Husband” and the Japanese Story of “Amewakahiko-zōshi” : a Study of &lt;ATU 425 The Search for the Lost Husband&gt; tales in Korea and Japan

A Comparative Study of the Affinities between the Korean Folktale of “the Serpent Husband” and the Japanese Story of “Amewakahiko-zōshi” : a Study of &lt;ATU 425 The Search for the Lost Husband&gt; tales in Korea and Japan

A Korean Folktale, Kongjee-Patjee: an Analysis of the Concept of Binary Opposition

This article presents an analysis of a Korean folktale, Kongjee-Patjee. The theory used in this paper to analyze the folktale is the concept of Binary Opposition. In addition, Vladimir Propp’s approach toward folk tales is also used to analyze the meaning of symbols and the roles of characters in the story, and the position of this folk tale in Korean society. The differences and similarities of the Kongjee-Patjee story from other folk tales are discussed. Attempts are also made to analyze the meanings of the symbols in the story by analyzing the animal characters and their roles within Korean society and examine these animal symbols in understanding the culture of the Koreans. The contradiction between the protagonist and the antagonist also attracts our attention to look at the construction of the story and the messages in the story.