Gwangju Writes 45 Today, you can even visit a Chunhyang-themed park in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, a mere hour away from Gwangju by bus! Namwon, I should mention, is the traditional setting of Chunhyang. There you can visit a Chunhyangthemed park or participate in the regular Chunhyang Festival, which includes performances of the pansori narrative and a Miss Chunhyang Beauty Pageant. And, of course, Namwon is always a beautiful spot for enjoying Korea’s spring cherry blossoms!
Mysterious Maiden By Stephen Kagarise
“I was digging for herbs,” said the man, “when the sun set. Now I’m lost. Can you put me up for the night?” Without a moment’s pause, she beckoned him to enter the house. She gave him a bowl of rice and a plate of vegetables. He ate well and slept the night. The next morning, she prepared breakfast. As the two shared their meal, she broke the silence, curious to learn more about him. “Tell me, how much do you earn digging herbs?” she asked. “How many mouths do you feed?” A humble man, the bachelor felt no shame in telling her that he barely earned enough to
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Gwangju News, May 2022
Diane Dooley is originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and has a BA in Korean and an MA in Korean literature. She enjoys reading, coffee, and talking about Korea to anyone willing to listen. She currently lives and works in Gwangju as an English teacher and is passionate about education. Email: dianedooley@naver.com
One day he went deeper in the woods than usual, looking for herbs, and struck such a rich vein that he lost track of time. Before he knew it, the sun had set, stranding him in the dark. Eager to get home, he only got more lost in the forest. He had no other recourse but to keep wandering. At last, he saw a faint light flickering in the distance. He ran over to see who it might be. What he found was a straw-thatched house with a fencedin garden. Hearing his footsteps, a young woman came out to greet him.
gwangjunewsgic.com
The Author
D
eep in the mountains, there once lived an old bachelor. Every day, he would go digging for herbs and then sell them in the market. Nearly thirty, and quite poor, it seemed unlikely he would ever find a wife.
CULTURE & ARTS
Sources Cho, Sung-won (2004). Trapped in the quest for realism: Mistaken equality in Namchang Ch’unhyangga. Korea Journal, 44, 102–122 Cho, Sung-won (2003). Waiting for the Sage King: The “political unconscious” of Namchang Ch’unhyangga. Korea Journal, 43, 240–266 Deuchler, Martina. (1992). The Confucian transformation of Korea: A study of society and ideology. Council of East Asian Studies, Harvard University. Eckert, Carter J., et al. (1990). Korea old and new: A history. Harvard University Press. Kim, Heunggyu. (2003). P’ansori. In Peter H. Lee (Ed.), A history of Korean literature. Cambridge University Press. Kim, Yeongmin. (2011). Portrait of two women: Multiple layers of Confucianism in late Chosŏn Korea. In Yeongmin Kim & Michael Pettid (Eds.), Women and Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea. State University of New York Press. Rutt, Richard. (1974). The song of a faithful wife, Ch’unhyang. In Richard Rutt & Kim Chong-un [Trans.], Virtuous women: Three classic Korean novels. Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch / Kwang Myong Printing
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