Comparative Research Of Murakami Haruki’s And Kim Youngha’s Short Stories

To determine an accurate definition of Postmodernism is still a question in European so far. Whereas usually Postmodernism refers to the culture and art movement trends that were arisen after the World War Ⅱ. It doesn’t means some specific trends of thought, but the thought of literary and genres which against existence of the traditional literature. Nouveau Roman and it spread rapidly after the World War Ⅱ. The new born scholars presented the features of strong comprehensiveness, diversity and openness.Postmodernism is a fusion multiple arts, thus, it is incapable to narrate Postmodernism in penetrating and formulaic ways. In general, Postmodernism has infinite multifaceted narrative and possibility. In this way, literal meanings and traditional narratives comes from the author’s intention and the reader’s response.Both Murakami Haruki and Kim Youngha, who is known as "Korean Murakami Haruki ", are best sellers in their respective country, and their short stories also have tendency of Postmodernism:full-bodied urbanity; which overturned previous way of thinking! showed up rebel awareness strongly; at the same time, denied the existing values.Both Murakami Haruki and Kim Youngha emphasize on individualism in their stories. In their stories, the leading characters are often introverts and marginal figure. They are living absurd lives and they are suffering from spiritual crisis, and physically disabled.In their stories, we can see that they are against the traditional narrative. They like to use some Postmodernist techniques, such as uncertain structures are using like a collage. A combination of realities and fantasies are their favorite way in telling a series of trivial, absurd, and telling odd stories around us, which caused the resonance of the readers at home and abroad.Up to now, there are some independent analysts on works of both authors but the comparisons between the two authors are quite rare, except the master thesis "The Correlation study between Murakami Haruki and Kim Youngha" by Yu Sangha in 2013.The dissertation contrasts the correlation of two authors’works through comparing influencing study methods, denial of authority, the integrity of the mass cultures and imaginations.This thesis paper tries to contrast the characters and narrative methods in the stories by parallel study method which is focusing on postmodernism. The purpose is not for proving correlation between two authors, but through the contrasting people can find out the difference and the common nature of literature to unveil the reason why the two authors are so popular.Even if on the characters and narrative method Murakami Haruki and Kim Youngha have similarity, still they are differences on specific operations. Firstly, in depicting characters Murakami Haruki deliberately reject family but focusing on individual, while characters in Kim Youngha’ s story are living with families, there are still focusing on themselves. Secondly, they are differences on the narrative, for example, the form of collage and the role of the fantasy are different.In the collage technique part, Murakami Haruki uses intermediary to narrate a story, and the intermediary is premonitory. While in Kim Youngha’s, it often completes the collage by repeatedly using symbolic meaning of vocabularies. What is more, the imaginations of novels are different. The imaginations of Murakami Haruki’s works are aimed at enhancing the enjoyment, while it is for destruction of subjectivity. At the same time, with determines to highlight the characteristics of leading characters’marginalization.What is more,the structures and atmospheres of two authors are similar. This paper which focuses on Postmodernism with a parallel study between Murakami Haruki’s six short stories, "All God’s Children Can Dance"," The Scenery of Iron" and so on. Kim Youngha’s nine works, including" What’s Wrong with the Men Who are Clumped by Elevator Door?’, "Bloodsucker", "Lightning Rod", " The Wind Rises". This thesis tries to explain the reasons why the two writers have been favored by readers, through in-depth analysis of the characters and narrative.