Korean literature in translation: sentiments and human relationships in modern Korean fiction

Korean Studies Electives

This course is a survey course on Korean literary texts from Korea with two goals. One goal is to offer students foundational knowledge about Korean literature with a primary focus on fiction from the twentieth century to the present. The other goal is to explore “sentiments” and “human relationships” in important Korean short stories and novels. The readings, which represent major literary trends in style and content for representative historical moments, are also selected for their literary merit and the diversity of their subject matter, and they will provide a cross-section of the modern Korean literary tradition. We will supplement our reading of literary works with theoretical texts and recent scholarship on Korea. Key issues include the following: enlightenment, youth as sentiment, romantic love, modernity, affect, family relationships, trauma, etc.