Introductory Topics in Korean Literature and Culture (240-0-21)
Topic
Contemp. Women Authors of South Korean & Feminist
Instructors
Dahye Kim
847/491-1350
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge 4-441
Office Hours: varies by quarter, please contact instructor
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-425: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
AY24 updated description 3/14 "A coldness that masks a burning rage": A Guardian article introduces South Korean female writers who have received global commercial success and acclaim in recent years, notably Han Kang, drawing commonalities among their writings in aspects such as rage and violence. Indeed, one commonality among their literary ventures is the coupling of women's suffering in a highly modern, yet patriarchal society with their anger and "madness," an old literary trope that is widely shared across different cultures around the world. But how are these Korean "madwomen" similar to and different from the mad women written by, for instance, Charlotte Brontë or Toni Morrison? How can we reread the tradition of feminist literary criticism that aims to derive emancipatory politics from the long social association between women with "madness," a concept that carries "seductive inexactness in its archaism" (Megan Finch), in light of its critical revival in disability studies and mad studies? Most of all, how should we connect the literary representation of angry, violent, or depressed women whose voices are denied by the patriarchal social order with the explosive rise of the feminist movement in contemporary South Korea? With these questions in mind, this course closely reads major South Korean novels and short stories written by women writers, often juxtaposing them with the voices of ordinary Korean feminists today. In this context, another guiding question will focus on how Korean feminists develop and articulate radical politics and voices, navigating between the global rise of neoliberal feminism and the persisting patriarchal violence of capitalist society that continues to label women's voices for social justice as irrational. This question aligns with the longstanding critical inquiry into the nature of women's writing, or écriture féminine.
Teaching Method
Discussion with lectures.
Evaluation Method
Grades will largely be determined by student comprehension of lectures and readings, discussion, and a combination of smaller and in-depth writing assignments.
Class Materials (Required)
updated list: March 14
Cho Nam-ju, Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982, Liveright (2020)
Han Kang, The Vegetarian, Hogarth (2016)
Kim Sagwa, Mina, Two Lines Press (2018)
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area