Images Of Exotic Korean Multicultural Novels

With the advent of the21st century multicultural era, the Korean literary works described in a number of South Korea’s multi-cultural character of a society that is Korea multicultural fiction. In recent years the use of the image of Comparative Literature research methods to study the papers of the image of China in the foreign literature are more, but most of the studies are focus on the classical and contemporary works. We can be said that complete and systematic study about the exotic image in the modern Korean multicultural fiction has not yet appeared.Four novels are selected as the representative of the Korean multicultural novels, such as Beomsin Park of "Namaste", Ryeoryeong Kim of "WanDeuggi ", Unyoung Chun of "Good bye, circus", Jaeyeong Kim of "Elephant". The theory of the comparative literature image study is used as the methodology to discussing the exotic image in the novels.This thesis is divided into four chapters. Before expound exotic image in the Korean multicultural fiction first we should be clearly discussed the concept and reasons of the Korean multicultural novel. So the first chapter is divided into the Korean multicultural novel concept, the Korean multicultural novel causes and the Korean multicultural novel features.After defining the Korean multicultural novel concept, the second chapter discussed the representative of the Korean multicultural fiction. This thesis selected four novels as the representative of Korean multicultural fiction and divided the characters which the novels are portrayed into three types which are the exploited foreign workers, the repressed woman, facing the difficulty of the multicultural family children. This chapter is a detailed discussion of these three types of characters.The shaping of the images of "the other" is also a review and understand on "self. Although this article focuses on the exotic image in this text, but if bypassing the image of Korea and simply discussing the exotic image is clear not enough. Therefore, the research on the exotic image of Korea multicultural novels can not be separated with the analysis about the image of South Korea."The other" is like a mirror, through which more clearly see the "self, so as to achieve the purpose of innovation, it also shows that Korea multicultural fiction writers’creative purpose. So in the first part of the3td chapter focused on the Korea image which behind in the exotic image of Korea multicultural novel. From the selected four Korean multicultural novels, we can analyze the behind South Korea’s self-image as single ethnic pride, the two way of thinking, the habit of demeaning the feminine, the phenomenon of xenophobia etc.Moreover, in the second part of the3td chapter discussed the exotic image which is belongs to "the other" in Korea multicultural novels. Under the Korea multicultural novelist’s description, foreign country full of a strong idealized color and Utopia means. The Utopian image is not only reflects their knowledge and understanding of the exotic, but also in doubt and deny the reality of their own culture. To some extent it is a reflection of the desires and needs of the writers and even the Korean society. The exotic image which was described by writers is clearly a positive cultural using. They tried to creating a natural, pure, harmonious and idealized exotic image through reference and comparison, and pointed out that many problems exist in today’s Korean society, such as discrimination against foreigners, unequal treatment of foreigners and other phenomena. Writers expressed a wishing to establish a good society which is harmony, equality, friendship, multicultural coexistence.The third part of the3rd chapter discussed the cause of characters and exotic image in Korean multicultural novels. According to the image of Comparative Literature theory, the exotic image is generally between the ideology and Utopia. The former refers to writer based in the country the dominant cultural paradigm to describe the exotic image. The latter is a writer based the centrifugal force to describe the exotic image, questioned to the country’s social order. In short,"the ideological image" roughly certainly self and maintain the self-cultural realities;"the Utopian image" roughly question and negative self-cultural realities. So, the three types of characters in Korea multicultural novels tend to the ideological image and the exotic image which is belongs to "the other" in Korea multicultural novels express pure processing features, so obviously belongs to the Utopian mage. The multicultural novel writers in Korea Why create the exotic image which is between the ideology and Utopia? The reason is due to the Korean borrow the Orientalism which is westerners ever see China in that point of view to look at foreigners which are living in Korea multicultural society. This phenomenon can be described as Orientalism and Occidentalism consistent. Edward Said defending Orientalism is a interpretation given to the East in the West, reflect Westerners contempt oriental culture. Orientalism is a Western to build up things, aims to establish a distinction between west and east, for example west/orient, civilization/barbarism, reasonable/unreasonable, advanced/backward etc. It is for emphasizing the superiority of Western culture, the nature is a cultural control. Occidentalism refers to the prejudices which held by the non-Western world to the West. South Korea belongs to the East, but South Korea affected by Orientalism. South Korea look for the eye of the West to the foreigners in Korean society which are come from East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and its country. In Korea multicultural novels, Orientalism and Occidentalism cleverly combined into one.In addition, in the last chapter discussed and analyzed Korea multicultural novels narrative styles which were divided into the proliferation of topos, romantic processing and rumors narrative etc.Intercepted and discussed the exotic image in Korean literature, contribute to have a deep understand of Korean society in the21st century, this article can provide some inspiration or source of information. In addition, this article recognized the self image by "the other" image and excavated to the reasons which form the exotic image behind Korea’s social, economic and cultural.