Violence and Trauma in Contemporary Korean Literature
To understand a culture, one must understand its past—including the dark and traumatic aspects—and to understand 21st century Korea, one must understand how violence colors much of its 20th century. This course explores the different theories and usage of trauma and violence within Korean literature, and how it reflects the cultural and historical narratives of Korean society. We will explore a variety of types of structural, psychological, and personal violence as seen in literary works from the 1950s to the 2020s. This includes: Our Twisted Hero, There the Petal Silently Falls, The Vegetarian, The Red Room, short stories, webtoons, and graphic novels. Students will also study the effect of war, colonialism, division, state violence, and Korean cultural practices on literature and how these experiences created transgenerational trauma that still resonates in Korean society and shapes its literature.
This class teaches students how to analyze Korean literature within its cultural and historical context while exploring the ways violence is expressed in canonical and popular fiction. Students will also learn about psychological, sociological, and literary theories pertaining to violence and trauma, which can give greater insight into struggles facing contemporary Korea as well as other societies.
All readings will be in either English or translated from Korean into English. No knowledge of Korean is required.
Course Listings: KOREAN 360 A, GLITS 253 A, C LIT 322 C
Instructor: Emily Marie Anderson Hall
Time: T Th 3:30-5:20 p.m.
Location: FSH 109
Email: emily4mi@uw.edu