Korean Women’s Writings

An exploration of literature by Korean women writers, from a memoir of a crown princess in the eighteenth century Choson dynasty to the contemporary, international award-winning novel by Han Kang. The course examines the various manifestations of the female image, the construction of gender identity and the change of women’s social role, women’s colonial and war experience, and how women writers have engaged with the social and political transformation of modern Korea—challenging and adapting to the longstanding Confucian tradition. All readings are available in English translation and no previous knowledge of Korean language is necessary.