Andrew Park L&S Arts & Humanities
Reading against Korean premodernity through literary monstrosity
Monsters often fill us with a sense of fear, revulsion, or disgust. At the same time, I can’t help but be fascinated by them: creatures that don’t fit into a normative worldview. The monster exists as a marginal figure resisting clear categorization, thus containing the possibilities of transgressing social norms.
This summer, I’ll be examining the monster in premodern Korean (Chosŏn-era) literature. Much of the writing at the time was concerned with promoting a strict devotion to gendered and socioeconomic hierarchies. I believe that by closely examining the perspective of the monster within these texts, we can better understand counter-hegemonic marginalities in the Chosŏn period.
My focus is on the Kimwŏnjŏn, which features a boy born into a monstrous, disabled body. Although he grows out of it after 10 years of repentance, he must return to this form in order to defeat a princess-kidnapping, 9-headed beast. In addition to preparing an English translation of selected excerpts from this text, I’ll be putting the Kimwŏnjŏn into conversation with other works of monster literature, ultimately developing a more critical and productive understanding of the Korean monster.
Message To Sponsor
Many thanks to my donor for their support, which makes it possible for me to perform this work. In a time when the humanities may be more important than ever, I’m grateful that I will be able to critically investigate a topic that means so much to me. I look forward to diving into the strange and fascinating possibilities of the Korean monster, so once again, thank you.