Annyeong!
Korean literature, the body of works written by Koreans, at first in Classical Chinese, later in various transcription systems using Chinese characters, and finally in Hangul (Korean: han’gŭl; Hankul in the Yale romanization), the national alphabet.
Although Korea has had its own language for several thousand years, it has had a writing system only since the mid-15th century, when Hangul was invented. As a result, early literary activity was in Chinese characters. Korean scholars were writing poetry in the traditional manner of Classical Chinese at least by the 4th century CE. A national academy was established shortly after the founding of the Unified Silla dynasty (668–935), and, from the time of the institution of civil service examinations in the mid-10th century until their abolition in 1894, every educated Korean read the Confucian Classics and Chinese histories and literature. The Korean upper classes were therefore bilingual in a special sense: they spoke Korean but wrote in Chinese.
By the 7th century a system, called idu, had been devised that allowed Koreans to make rough transliterations of Chinese texts. Eventually, certain Chinese characters were used for their phonetic value to represent Korean particles of speech and inflectional endings. A more extended system of transcription, called hyangch’al, followed shortly thereafter, in which entire sentences in Korean could be written in Chinese. In another system, kugyŏl, abridged versions of Chinese characters were used to denote grammatical elements and were inserted into texts during transcription. Extant literary works indicate, however, that before the 20th century much of Korean literature was written in Chinese rather than in Korean, even after the invention of Hangul.
In general, then, literature written in Korea falls into three categories: works written in the early transcription systems, those written in Hangul, and those written in Chinese.
POETRY
There are four major traditional poetic forms: hyangga (“native songs”); pyŏlgok (“special songs”), or changga(“long poems”); sijo (“current melodies”); and kasa (“verses”).
SIJO
A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.
Crush I walk down the crowded hall; It is an average day at school. But, today I decide to look up, instead of at the ground. And there he was, looking back. My face burns red. This crush must end.
Never Good Enough Am I not pretty enough? I try to look good so you notice. Am I not cool enough? I try to avoid sounding like a nerd. Am I not special enough? Well, guess what? Screw you. Done trying.
STORY:
THE VANITY OF THE RAT
Rena is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rat. The only thing that they want for Rena is to marry the best man. They talk to Mr. Sun first to marry their daughter, but Mr. Sun reffered the more powerful person than him, who is Mr. Cloud. Mr. Rat offers her daughter’s hand to Mr. Cloud but Mr. Cloud rejected it. He reffered Mr. Wind, for he is truly more powerful than Mr. Cloud.
But Mr. Wind also rejected the offer of Mr. Rat. Mr. Wind recommended Mr. Wall which is more powerful than him. But Mr. Wall also rejects the offer. He referred Roger Rat, who is the son of Old Ronald Rat. Roger Rat loves Rena so much. Mr. Rat finally agreed, and Roger Rat accepted the offer given by Mr. and Mrs. Rat and arrange their marriage immediately.
Moral Lessson:
The story tells how important to decide for our own, especially in choosing the man that we want to marry. This story shows that we must not look on the outward appearance but in the heart.
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