A Study Of The "Manchukuo" Korean Literature

The "Manchukuo" Korean literature is a part of Korean literature during a spe cial time in a specific geographical area. It has a unique significance in the history of Korean literature. It is a precious heritage in both the history of Chinese and Korean literature. This study will review these literary works according to four the mes, viz. immigration and nostalgia, settlement, colonial confrontation, and caterin g to reality. Meanwhile, other than literary themes, structural patterns and the artist ic designs also will be studied. The purpose of the study is to push the research g reatly forward to further development.IntroductionThe introduction part illustrates the method and basis of the study according t o the value, the scope, and the related research of it. Most of the previous researc h deliberately evaded "Manchukuo" Korean literature because they thought it was a touchy topic and the result would be politically misleading. However, making an objective research is the responsibility of a literary scholar. From the perspective of an intact literary history, we should not evade the study of such a historical ph enomenon of literature. Based on the perspective of a local researcher, this study c lassifies Manchukuo Korean literature according to their subject matters, and revie ws the Korean literary writings centered on Changchun, aims to overcome the sho rtcomings of previous studies, expand the current studies, and provide reference fo r future studies.Chapter one: Nostalgia – the theme of immigration and homesicknessFor a nation based on the farming culture, the homeland is a significant cultur al symbol beyond mere geographical connotations. It is always full of stories and i s the emotional foundation the farming nation. And for people who are forced to l eave their hometown, the sentimentality of nostalgia is more intense and lasting. T he theme of immigration and homesickness in Manchukuo Korean literature is so obvious that nostalgia is permeated in most of the works. Therefore we can say, it is the main theme of the Korean literature in this period. This chapter analyzes th ese literary works according to the emotions, the structures, and the unique artistic features of the Korean literature of this period mainly focusing on their theme of immigration and homesickness.Chapter Two: Rooted fusion- the theme of settlementIn the difficult reality, the Korean people lived in "Manchukuo" tried to comm unicate and compromise, even at the cost of cooperating with the Japanese. This i s the beginning of the "Peasant Tao" and the "North Homeland Spirit", it is also t he fulfillment of the living will of the immigrants. The "Peasant Tao" is derived fr om the love of the earth and the sincere feelings of nation, in emotional transform ation, it need the courage to separate original emotions. During that time, the choi ce to accept the "second home" for these people did not only mean "settlement", b ut also means "surviving" and "developing." From this point of view, although suc h literature has certain historical limitations, but it cannot be entirely classified in "compromising literature" or "pro-Japanese literature", the value of it should be pr oved from the perspective of national consciousness. This chapter analyzes Manch ukuo Korean literature from three aspects, viz. the settlers’ hope and struggling, th e literary mode centered on settlement, artistic context of localization.Chapter Three: Colonial confrontation – the theme of struggle and fightingDuring this period, to avoid political persecution and censorship, most writers chose to be silent, but there were still people who expressed their resentment in th e works criticizing reality. In addition, some of the writers with strong class and n ational awareness revealed their discontent through themes of fighting and struggli ng. These works not only formed the center of resistance literature of the Manchu kuo Korean literary writhing, but also were the most representative of the national backbone of the Korean Literature. By using the theme of colonial oppression an d its resistance, Manchukuo Korean literature reflected colonial confrontation throu gh the depiction of dark reality. Other than the individual protest, the resistance lit erature also included the collective literary creation in the anti-Japanese guerrilla z one. This chapter analyzes the Manchukuo Korean resistance literature in three asp ects, viz. the colonial oppression and revolt, the binary opposition mode, and the e motional aspects of artistic expression.Chapter four: Catering to reality – the theme of compromiseThe Korean writers in Puppet Manchukuo were writing paradoxically, the spec ial political climate determined the complicate consciousness of the writers. Under strict political control, some of the writers deliberately chose modernist literature to avoid sensitive political content, and many of them revealed a taste of decadenc e and a mentality of the defeated. There were also some writers published works t hat reflected the will of the nation in earlier writings, but with the urgency of the current situation, they became traitor of their nation and catered to the ruling Japa nese. Such acts would mark them as a shameful spot in the history of literature an d their national history. This chapter analyzes the theme of compromise in Manch ukuo Korean literature from three aspects, viz. the escape from reality and catering to policy, the mode of structural disorder, and the artistic features under the colon ial administration.ConclusionLife of immigration and Japanese colonial domination formed the major social background of Manchukuo Korean literature. It brought about the special qualities different from the literature of any other period. Puppet Manchukuo Korean litera ture is an important part of Korean Peninsula and predecessor of Korean Literatur e in China. Regardless of its artistic achievements, it is an important part of both Korean literary and Chinese literary history. It should draw more and more attenti ons, and the scope of this field of study will be enlarged greatly by more and mor e vigorous scholars, their new perspective and depth will improve our knowledge of it and provide examples for the following studies.