J eju Island is a cultural and natural visitor destination with a literary tradition that represents the place’s cultural identity. The literature and verse of Jeju are intriguing documentation of the island, its location, practices, and residents’ strengths. Below are a couple of examples that will show how Jeju contributed to literary works.
Man-deok Kim: A Story of Resilience
T he most famous literary character of Jeju is the tale of Man-deok Kim, who was later on depicted in the literary works. A real-life businesswoman from the Joseon Empire, Kim’s benevolence is renowned for feeding the starving individuals of Jeju Island during a famine. Numerous novels and plays have actually been created based on her life and the generosity and endurance she showed. Along with commemorating her achievements, these works quickly examine Jeju’s historic and cultural context (Kim,2011
The Verse from Ki-young Hyun
A mong the well-known poets of Jeju is Ki-young Hyun, that created poetic works that expose the background of Jeju and its nature. He concentrated on the motifs of the Jeju Uprising of 1948, which is one of the most vital and sorrowful pages in the history of Jeju. Hyun’s rhymes have plenty of dazzling summaries and feelings; they are the major prerequisites for the conservation of this misfortune in the memory of Jeju’s individuals (Hyun,2004
“The Mermaids of Jeju” by Sumi Hahn
In “The Mermaids of Jeju,” Sumi Hahn has actually produced a very solid publication that links Jeju’s background with mythical tradition. The plot revolves around the lives of Haenyeo, Jeju’s extraordinary women divers, in the context of political agitation in the mid-twentieth century. Because of the online and realistic description of the tale and Hahn’s recognition of Jeju society, this book can be considered as an important contribution to Jeju literature (Hahn,2020
The Folktales of Jeju
Jeju’s varied folktales are likewise preserved in the artefacts of its generations of people. The majority of these tales include neighborhood gods, spirits, and other beings and show ethical lessons rep of the islanders’ culture. Literature on Jeju folktales compiled in various quantities uses an intriguing perspective on Jeju’s sociocultural matrix and its connection to the land (Lee,2013
Final thought
Jeju Island is a culturally rich area, and literature and verse provide a proper insight into the island’s significance. Jeju’s Literature and art cover the story of its people, its battle, its history, and its existing, with Man-deok Kim motivating a generation and Ki-young Hyun’s poems etching a specific niche in literature.
References
Kim, Soon-Ja. A Geolinguistic Research Study on the Jeju Language Jeju: Jeju National College, 2011
Hyun, Ki-young. Sadness of the Island Seoul: Jimoondang Posting, 2004
Hahn, Sumi. The Mermaids of Jeju Seattle: Blue Pine Books, 2020
Lee, Iksop, and S. Robert Ramsey. The Oriental Language SUNY Press, 2013