Korea Writers In Japan In The 20th Century Works Comparative Study

After both Korea and China came to the end of the19th century and the beginning of the20th century, along with the coming of western literary ideas, the trail of fiction development and the social responsibility shouldered by fictions of both countries are surprisingly similar. In the modern literary history many writers had the experience of studying in Japan. Similarly, nearly half of Chinese renowned writers of this period had the same experience. At the beginning of the20th century, the young intelligentsia from both Korea and China went east to study in Japan, who not only absorbed some elements from Japanese literature, but also learn western literary ideas. After these writers came back to their countries, they played an important role in the contemporary literature. Judging from the number of writers, the works they wrote and their influence, in both countries these writer groups with the experience of studying in Japan pushed the literary development of their respective countries, whose influence in the literary circle in Korea and China gained common consensus.The writer groups with Japanese experience of both countries expressed their deep concern for common people, their enthusiasm on literature and their sense of social mission. The characteristics and their team awareness of these writers in both Korea and China set the direction of new literature in their respective countries. At the same time the greatly pushed forward the progress of modernization of literature of both countries.Both Kim Tong-in and YU Dafu had studies in Japan and knew the western literary ideas. Influenced by the Taisho Culture, both of them had great attainments in fiction writing. The life in Japan was a crucial period of time for both Kim Tong-in and Yu Dafu, during which their literary accomplishment, their temperament, disposition and feeling formed in this period of time played a decisive part for the basic features their literary works. As the representatives of the literature of their countries, both Kim Tong-in and Yu Dafu not only had common experience and social background, but also have the similar literary ideas and career. Therefore, it is possible to study the two writers by the method of parallel studies from the point of comparative literature. By analyzing and comparing the fictions by them, this dissertation mainly compares the writing features and ideas of them and further explores the literary thoughts and artistic style. Hence we can have a tentative study on them from an objective and comprehensive view. The comprehensive and thorough comparative studies on the fictions and the two writers themselves will enable us to explore the similarities of their literary works.Kim Tong-in's and YU Dafu's literary works are not of unitary. Various works expressed different features, including romanticism, nationalism, aestheticism, naturalism and humanism etc. Suffering is one of the themes of the works for both Kim Dong-in and YU Dafu. Generally speaking, art is the reoccurring of life to some degree. The sufferings from their works are the vivid description of life itself. During the1920s and1930s, both Korea and China were in their dark period. The similar background of sufferings enabled the appearance of similar tragedies of sufferings. By comparing the theme of suffering in the works of both Kim Tong-in and YU Dafu, this dissertation points out that the suffering in their works are the reflection of the suffering of people in the dark ages of the two countries. However, in expressing the theme sentimentality, Kim Tong-in's fictions focused on the tragic life in an unfair time and society while YU Dafu's fictions stressed the disillusion and sufferings under multiple burdens. The sentimental theme in both Kim Tong-in and YU Dafu's fictions had its profound social reasons. When both Kim Tong-in and YU Dafu began to write their fictions, Korea was under the cruel rule of Japan while China was deep in the half-colonial and half-feudal society when people were in misery and sufferings.For the Korean and Chinese writers with experience living in Japan, their modern literary ideas were greatly influenced by western thoughts. At the same time the traditional literary ideas for the scholars both in Korea and China were also similar. That is why their literary works showed great similarities. Therefore, the comparative studies on Kim Tong-in and YU Dafu played a positive role in exploring the similarities between the modern literatures of Korea and China. As the forerunners and pioneers of their countries'modern literature, their life experience and literary thoughts has some similarities. That is why the literary art and thoughts of both Kim Tong-in and YU Dafu had surprising similarities.