A Comparative Study Of Modern Transformation Between Chinese And South Korean Novels

From time immemorial, a close relationship, especially in literature, has been set upbetween China and South Korea. By dint of character, an important cultural factor, Chineseliterature has influenced South Korean literature in all domains for South Korea belongs tothe Chinese-Character Cultural Circle. However, such kind of this situation began tochange in modern times, making the cultural exchange between the two countries, whichhad always been flourished, develop from "Influential Relationship" to "ParallelRelationship" in the angle of Comparative Literature. The reason was that China and SouthKorea suffered from colonialist aggression of the Western Powers or Japan from the end of19th century to the beginning of the20th, forcing the traditional cultural exchangerelationship between the two countries to be discontinued. Nevertheless, the weak and poorfeudal ruling stratums were unable to resist this, having to be faced with national crisisunder the circumstances of troubles at home and aggression from abroad. Afterwards, therecame "the Open Door Policy" and "the West Breeze East Gradually". Together with thedevelopment of printing technology, they expedited the gradual appearance of modernnewspapers and magazines. The foundation of author's remuneration system enabledwriters to have occupational identity. Then the formation of new-style education andmodern cities brought about wide scopes of readers for the transformation of novels. At thesame time, translation activities of foreign novels also brought in stimulations and impactsfor the traditional novels. Combining all of the above-mentioned factors, Chinese andSouth Korean novels gradually broke away from the time-honored marginalized statue andbecame a mainstream of literature. It's in this process that Chinese and South Koreannovels took the modern transformation way. Changes between the two countries' novelsnot only represent relatively strong identity and synchronism, but also considerable diversities. Therefore, the main contents and key problem for this paper to deal with are theanalysis and researches on the causes of such sameness and diversities.The exordium chiefly outlines the reason for selecting this topic. Then it givesdefinitions and explanations to some relevant concepts, and also puts forward the keyproblem, research contents, present research situations, innovation points and researchingapproaches and ideas of this paper. In accordance with this outline, this paper will discussthe topic in detail in5chapters.The first chapter will give a systematic account of similar social and culturalbackground in the modern transformation period of Chinese and South Korean novels. Itwill discuss from four aspects, mainly researching on the invasion of the Western Powers,measures to national salvation, establishments of modern newspapers and magazines,emergence of professional writers, new reading groups brought about by the formations ofnew-style education and modern cities, stimulation and enlightenment of foreign novels.The second chapter will take Liang Qichao as the case study, analyzing his influenceover the transformation between Chinese and South Korean novels. At first, it will make anon-the-spot investigation on the acceptance of Liang Qichao's writings and thoughts inmodern South Korea. Then, it will continue to do analysis on the acceptance of ShinChaeho, a famous thinker and novelist in modern South Korea, and its impacts. At last, thepaper will focus on Liang Qichao's influence over the South Korean's noveltransformation from aspects of writing style and novel kind.The third chapter will highlight the identities of the modern transformation betweenChinese and South Korean novels. Transitional characteristics will also be analyzed fromtwo angles: inheriting the tradition and proceeding the modern. Simultaneously it willfocus on the concept of novel, carrier of language, skills for creating and so on, fullyprobing into the identity of modern transformation between the two countries' novels.Novel concepts between the two countries have already been experienced the process ofelevating its status. In the aspect of language carrier, it has made an attempt to realize thetransition to vernacular, laying the foundation of "Vernacular Movement" between the twocountries. When it comes to the creating technique, novels of the two countries will presentsome new features different from that of ancient ones in the mode of narration andtechnique of creation for the stimulation and enlightenment of novel translations.The fourth chapter will focus on the diversities represented in the modern transformation of Chinese and South Korean novels, which will be explained in detail fromsome aspects, such as the topic consciousness, literary pattern, culture shock and politicalevents. As for the topic consciousness, it refers to satire, condemnation, patriotism and newnationalism.With regard to the literary pattern, the paper will pay attention to therelationship between the two countries' new literature and popular one, separatelyrepresented by opposition and criticism, symbiosis and coexistence. In the aspect ofcultural shock, the paper will majorly discuss the diverse consequences caused by thecultural conflicts between the ideas of Confucianism and Western religions. In point ofpolitical events, the thesis will compare the literary influence resulted by the May FourthMovement and the March First Independence Movement, two big events which happenedin their history of society and literature.The fifth chapter will emphatically analyze the internal and external reasons for thecause of the identities and diversities in the modern transformation of Chinese and SouthKorean novels. First of all, it will explain the impetus of the popular novels. Theontological characteristics of their novel concepts shifted from the political angle ofnational salvation to the returning of entertainment are the results of their novels'self-restrictions on development as well as multiple external influential factors such aspolitics, economy, and culture. However, in the contrary, modern popular writers hasforcefully promoted the marching steps of modern novel's transformation in the way ofputting emphasis on its entertaining function, exerting its feature of aesthetic art in somedegree. Meanwhile, Chinese and South Korean modern novel writers have become theforerunner of didacticism. Their works have embodied a strong sense of modernity, layinga solid ideological base for the following emergence of their new literature and quickeningtheir proceeding of literal modernization. Japanese and Western literature have alsoaffected Chinese and South Korean modern novel's transformation. In this process, Japanonce played an important intermediary role, giving impetus to their modern transformation.Ideas coming from the Western Renaissance period, such as individual emancipation andfreedom, together with the sense of science and democracy, have gradually been acceptedby their intellectuals. Modern developing process of Chinese and South Korean novels isbasically a duplication of Japanese novels, leading them step into a road of novelpoliticalization. The difference of their semi-colony and complete-colony situation hasaccounted for the overall root of all the diversities denoting in their novels' modern transformation. It is just the distinct degree of colonization that makes the topicconsciousness, literary pattern, culture shock and political events different between the twocountries' novels in the changing process from traditional to modern.