“Various portrayals of Chunhyang”
“Various portrayals of Chunhyang”
The Chunhyang tale, based on a Korean love folktale in the early 18th century, similar to “Romeo and Juliet”, is portrayed in various versions, a pansori, film, a novel, and a manga. Chunhyang, the beautiful, sharp-witted, talented daughter of a courtesan shows strong resistance to authoritarian powers and represents a female role model of headstrong perfectionist through her secret love, marriage to the son of provincial governor, Mongyong. Despite of Chunhyang’s strong will power, intelligence, and talented skills in writing, she is also rather shy, innocent, and sassy in the world of men. The story of Chunhyang provides hope to Korean audiences for transcending class and gender differences, and depicts restrictive Confucian Korean society of different social status. Chunhyang’s eternal devotion to Mongyong should be recognized with Chunhyang’s unchanging loyalty to marriage and integrity, and chastity, despite of Mongyong’s absence, with all kinds of punishment, tortures, and temptations presented to her by the new government official. In contrast to many other Korean folktales, the tale of Chunhyang presents social issues and portrays women as heroines for their endurance and strength in the face of adversity, oppressions, and sufferings. The perspectives on Chunhyang varied with different portrayal of the story, production period, and its original gaze of the production. The tale of Chunhyang, as a folktale, has been passing down from generation to generation through various forms with various modification and adaptations; a novel “The song of a faithful wife, ch’unhyang,” a film with pansori narration “Chunhyang” by Im Kwon-Taek, and a narrative artwork of manga in Japanese perspective, “The legend of chunhyang” by Clamp. While the film and the novel of Chunhyang represent the tale and its theme similarly, the manga departs precipitously from the original Korean folk legend with Japanese presentation of the Korean folktale.
The Chunhyang tale, based on a Korean love folktale in the early 18th century, similar to “Romeo and Juliet”, is portrayed in various versions, a pansori, film, a novel, and a manga. Chunhyang, the beautiful, sharp-witted, talented daughter of a courtesan shows strong resistance to authoritarian powers and represents a female role model of headstrong perfectionist through her secret love, marriage to the son of provincial governor, Mongyong. Despite of Chunhyang’s strong will power, intelligence, and talented skills in writing, she is also rather shy, innocent, and sassy in the world of men. The story of Chunhyang provides hope to Korean audiences for transcending class and gender differences, and depicts restrictive Confucian Korean society of different social status. Chunhyang’s eternal devotion to Mongyong should be recognized with Chunhyang’s unchanging loyalty to marriage and integrity, and chastity, despite of Mongyong’s absence, with all kinds of punishment, tortures, and temptations presented to her by the new government official. In contrast to many other Korean folktales, the tale of Chunhyang presents social issues and portrays women as heroines for their endurance and strength in the face of adversity, oppressions, and sufferings. The perspectives on Chunhyang varied with different portrayal of the story, production period, and its original gaze of the production. The tale of Chunhyang, as a folktale, has been passing down from generation to generation through various forms with various modification and adaptations; a novel “The song of a faithful wife, ch’unhyang,” a film with pansori narration “Chunhyang” by Im Kwon-Taek, and a narrative artwork of manga in Japanese perspective, “The legend of chunhyang” by Clamp. While the film and the novel of Chunhyang represent the tale and its theme similarly, the manga departs precipitously from the original Korean folk legend with Japanese presentation of the Korean folktale.