Abstract
This paper deals with the sudden change in the mood, themes and style of Korean literature in the 1990s, which was brought on by the inauguration of the first civilian government in three decades and the lifting of the oppressive shadow of military dictatorship. Under military dictatorship, serious Korean writers all felt obligated to be the conscience of the nation, so the emphasis of their works tended to be on social and political injustice and the lives of the exploited workers or helpless and powerless citizens. Their tone, therefore, was that of harsh protest. However, with the demise of military dictatorship, Korean writers felt free to focus on personal relationships and the inner psyche. Shin Kyoung-suuk and Choi Yoon are just two among the many new talents who emerged in the Korean literary scene since the end of the 1980s. They awakened the deep-seated repression of the Korean psyche and fueled the exuberance of psychic liberation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Choi, Y. (1991). You Are Not You Anymore. Seoul: Mineum-sa.
Choi, Y. (1992a). His Father's Keeper. In Yonder a Flower is Quietly Fading. Seoul: Moonhak Gwa Jisong-sa.
Choi, Y. (1992b). Soiled Snowman. In Yonder a Flower is Quietly Fading. Seoul: Moonhak Gwa Jisong-sa.
Choi, Y. (1992c). Yonder a Flower is Quietly Fading. In Yonder a Flower is Quietly Fading. Seoul: Moonhak Gwa Jisong-sa.
Choi, Y. (1995b). Whisper, Whisper. In Whisper, Whisper. Seoul: Mineum-sa.
Kim, Y.-h. (1995). A Bird in a Cage: An Autobiographical Sketch. Literary Community (Moonhak Dongne).
Shin, K.-s. (1990a). A Desolate Room. In A Winter Fable. Seoul: Koryowon.
Shin, K.-s. (1990b). Saint's Day. In A Winter Fable. Seoul: Koryowon.
Shin, K.-s. (1993a). The Image of Mija. In Where the Organ Used to Stand. Seoul: Moonhak Gwa Jisong-sa.
Shin, K.-s. (1993b). Where the Organ Used to Stand. In Where the Organ Used to Stand. Seoul: Moonhak Gwa Jisong-sa.
Shin, K.-s. (1994). Deep Sorrow, 2 vols. Seoul: Moonhak Dongne.
Chang, S.-i. (1994). A New Sphere of Reality Reflection and the Woman. Fiction and Thought. (Moonhak Gwa Sasang).
Im, S.-m. (1995). Fine Perceptions for all Sides. Tales of Literature (Moonhak Iyagi).Seoul: Segye-sa.
Kim, B.-i. (1992). The Beauty of Pain or Pain of Beauty. Afterword to Yonder a Flower is Quietly Fading. Seoul: Moonhak Gwa Jisong-sa.
Park, H. (1994). Pleasure at the Empty Core. Literary Community (Moonhak Dongne).
Song, M.-h. (1994). Women's Repressed Desire and Male-Centered Sexual Abuses and Violence. In Sexual Violence and Abuses Portrayed in Literature. Seoul: Association of Feminist Literary Studies.
Yang, J.-o. (1995). A New Novel by a Perennially Young Author. World Literature (Segye eui Moonhak).
Yu, J.-h. (1992). A Masterpiece of Social and Political Criticism. Juror's Commentary on A Soiled Snowman: A Collection of the Winning and Nominated Works for the Dong-In Literary Prize. Seoul: Chosun Ilbo-sa.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Suh, JM. Propelled by the Force of Memory: New Directions in Korean Literature in the 1990s. Human Studies 24, 149–170 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010783500560
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010783500560