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Land (novel)

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Introduction

Land is a 1994 novel written by Korean author Pak Kyongni[1]. It is an epic novel that focuses on the history of a landowning family in Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do and it vividly depicts modern Korean history of the first half of the 20th century. It was adapted into a film in 1974 and three TV series in 1979, 1987, and 2004.

Plot

Summary

Beginning in 1897 and culminating in 1945 when Korea was liberated from the Japanese colonization, Land, made up of five chapters[2], follows the story of the Chois, a wealthy landowning family living in Hadong, Gyeongsangnamdo.[3] The author started writing it in 1969 and finished it 25 years later, in 1994. The novel, taking place in Pyeongsa-ri in Hadong, Yongjeong in Gando, Seoul, and Jinju, describes how the Choi family is brought to ruin and eventually rises to the challenge.[4] The story of the family and the Korean people is recounted with the historical events of great import, such as the Donghak Peasant Revolution, the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the 1909 Gando Convention, and the Japanse Invasion of Manchuria in 1931. It is a sizeable work in no fewer than 20 volumes[5], encompassing a period of a half century and six hundred characters.[6].

The first chapter (1897–1908) mostly focuses on the family of Deputy-Minister Choi, and their tenant farmers.[7] As the family gradually declines and Jo Jun-gu, a distant relative, steals their money, Choi Seohui, the only descendant, moves to Gando with the village people. In the second chapter (1911–1917), she gets married to Gilsang, a former servant, becomes rich again, and comes back home. In the third chapter (1919–1929), she gets rid of Jo and takes back her family's fortune. Both the second and third chapters delineate independence movements abroad during the Japanese colonization, conflict within the Koreans overseas, and hardships that intellectuals experience. In the fourth chapter (1930–1939), the story of her two sons, Hwan-guk and Yun-guk, growing up unfolds with the portrayals of the country's history, art, and culture. Finally, the fifth chapter (1940–1945) depicts the situation of the country nearing the end of the colonization and ends with the scene where Seohui watches the news about Japan's surrender.[8]

Characters

The main characters are the family members of Deputy-Minister Choi: Lady Yun, her son Choi Chisu, and her granddaughter Choi Seohui. Also, there are Pyeongsa-ri residents who have connections with the family, the intellectuals, and those engaged in nationalist movements, such as Kim Gilsang and Kim Hwan.[9] In particular, the author created fascinating characters like Ju gabi, Jo Byeongsu, Song Gwansu, Mohwa, and Mongchi who sublimate their hardships into love and show a strong will to live in such extreme realities. However, more negative characters, such as Jo Jun-gu and Kim Dusu appear, as well.

Main themes

Land chronicles the Choi family's history spanning 50 years, from the latter era of the Joseon period to the end of the Japanese colonization. It is the chronology of the family and a historical novel that vividly depicts what the Korean people went through, but it is also a work of literature that explores human nature.[10] The main characters who lead the story are Seohui, Gilsang, Weolseon, and Yong-i, but as the title "Land" suggests, the Korean history and society, or the Korean land can be regarded as its main characters and main themes. The collapse and resurgence of the Choi family actually signifies the fall and rise of the Korean people[11], and what Pak emphasizes through the whole story is the importance of loving kindness and cherishing life.[12]

Style

Instead of addressing real events specifically, Land shows the course of the history by describing individuals who struggle through the tumultuous times.[13] Its first chapter tells the tragic history of Deputy-Minister Choi's family and the story of his death, an outbreak of a contagious disease, the death of Lady Yun, the plot of Jo Jun-gu, Yunbo joining militia, and the family moving to Gando, as it extensively delineates the development of the Modern Korean history. The second chapter, set in Gando, recounts the love, betrayal, and conflict between the characters with historical events such as the decline of the Confucian values, the loss of farmland, and the fights against Japan. The third chapter is about Seohui in Hadong, the intellectuals based in Seoul, the activists fighting in Jirisan Mountain, and the refuges in Manchuria and Gando. The fourth chapter paints a realistic and extensive picture of the intellectuals based in Seoul, Tokyo, and Manchuria; the activists standing against Japan in Hadong, Jinju, Jirisan Mountain, and Manchuria. Lastly, the fifth chapter tells the remaining stories of the characters when the surrender of Japan is imminent.[14]

As such, the novel describes the story of the Choi family, closely following social changes in space and time.[15] It realistically portrays the Korean history and ways of life[16], and incorporates dialect and proverbs to show the beauty of the Korean language.[17]

Critical reception

Land has been commended for its profound exploration of human dignity and human nature laid out in the specific historical context of the country. In addition, it is considered one of the best works of modern Korean literature that conveys the unique beauty of the Korean language. It has been translated and introduced into a number of languages, including English, French, and Japanese.[18]

One of its important features is that it documents how the caste system of the feudal times crumbled and how the Korean people suffered from the Japanese invasion. While it exhibits a positive attitude towards the traditional, indigenous society, it also calmly depicts how it declined as the new modern culture gained power. In addition, it describes a history with the people as its agents.[19]

It is also significant that the novel embodies in depth one of the major Korean values, cherishing life. As shown in the beautiful scene of Gilsang finishing the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue, the value of cherishing life in this novel refuses materialism that oppresses life, and supports love.[20] It is about treating all living beings equally and acknowledging their own dignity.[21] In Land, the human world is described as 'the valley of skeletons' swiped by an infectious disease, but it ultimately pursues hope as 'the tree of life' is growing there. Imi's mother gives birth to Hong-i in Pyeongsa-ri, where the disease spreads; the Korean people regain their lives with a pure heart after the defeat of Japan and the ensuing demise of the Japanese colonization.[22]

Adaptations

The novel led to many movie and TV series adaptations. The director Kim Su-yong adapted it into a 1974 film[23] starring Kim Jimi, Lee Sunjae, Seo Hui, Heo jang-gang, and Choi Jeongmin. The movie received the 13th Dae Jong Film Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, and Kim Jimi won Best Actress.[24]

KBS created two TV series adaptations in 1979 and 1987,[25] and SBS did one in 2004.[26] The 1979 adaptation was created when TV was black and white and it was remade in 1987. As Pak was still writing the novel at the time, she was hesitant about adapting only its first part. But she eventually agreed, thinking it was meaningful. SBS started filming in 2004, after the novel was finished. In the 1979 adaptation, Han Hyesuk and Seo Inseok played Seohui and Gilsang, respectively. The 1987 TV series starred Choi Suji and Yun Seongwon and the 2004 remake starred Kim Hyeonju and Yu Junsang. The 1987 TV series was directed by Ju Ilcheong, the 2004 adaptation by Lee Jonghan. The TV series adaptations maximize the conflict, love, and hate depicted in the original so that they are interesting and touching in their own ways. One of the filming sites, the house of the Choi family in Pyeongsa-ri, later became a tourist attraction.[27]


Bibliography

《토지》, 삼성이데아서적, 1988 / Toji (Land), Samseong Idea Seojeok, 1988

《토지》, 지식산업사, 1988 / Toji (Land), Jisik Sanup, 1988

《토지》, 솔출판사, 1994 / Toji (Land), Sol Book, 1994

《토지》, 나남, 2002 / Toji (Land), Nanam, 2002

《청소년 토지》, 이룸, 2003 / Cheongsonyeon Toji (Land for Young Adults), Iroom, 2003

《토지》, 마로니에북스, 2012 / Toji (Land), Maronie Books, 2012

《청소년 토지》, 자음과모음, 2012 / Cheongsonyeon Toji (Land for Young Adults), Jamo Book, 2012

《만화 토지》, 마로니에북스, 2015 / Manhwa Toji (Land: Cartoons), Maronie Books, 2015

Translations

土地, 福武書店, 1983. (Japan)[28]

土地, 民族出版社, 2011. (China)[29]

土地, CUON(東京), 2016. (Japan)[30]

LA TERRE, Belfond(Paris), 1994. (France)[31]

Land, Kegan Paul International (London), 1996 (United Kingdom)[32]

LAND, Secolo, 2001. (Germany)[33]

Land, Global Oriental, 2011. (Netherlands)[34]

ЗЕМЛЯ, Новый хронограф, 2016. (Russia)[35]

Awards

Weoltan Literature Award (월탄문학상, 1972)[36]

References

  1. ^ Pak Kyongni (1927–2008) was born in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do. Her career as a writer began after the literary magazine Hyundae Munhak published her short stories "Gyesan (계산, Calculation)" in 1955 and "Heukheuk baekbaek (흑흑백백, Black and White)" in 1956, recommended by the writer Kim Dongni. She continued to write a number of short stories including "Bulsin sidae (불신시대, The Era of Distrust)" published in 1957, and many novels such as Kimyakguk-ui ttaldeul (김약국의 딸들, The Daughters of Pharmacist Kim) published in 1962 and Sijang-gwa jeonjang (시장과 전장, Markets and Battlefields) in 1964. Especially, her epic novel Land was translated in English, Japanese, and French to receive critical acclaim. She won the Korea Literature Award for Best Woman Writer (한국여류문학상) in 1965, and the Gabriela Mistral Commemorative Medal in 1996 from the Chilean Government. In 1999, the Association of Korean Art Critics included Pak in the Artists of the 20th Century. ("Pak Kyongni Introduction," Yes24, accessed November 26, 2019, http://www.yes24.com/24/AuthorFile/Author/682?VTYPE=AuthorIntroduction#ai. "Chronology of the late writer Pak Kyongni," Yonhap News, accessed November 26, 2019, https://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=103&oid=001&aid=0002073257.)
  2. ^ The author published the first chapter from September, 1969 in Hyundae Munhak; the second chapter in 1972 in Monthly Literature & Thought; the third chapter in 1978 in Styler Jubu Saenghwal; the fourth chapter in 1978 in Monthly Kyunghyang and in 1983 in Jeongkyeong Munhwa and Madang; the fifth chapter from September 1, 1992 in Munhwa Ilbo. It took her 25 years to finish the epic novel. She wrote it while fighting  cancer, and confessed in the preface of the first chapter that "For me, life and literature have been inseparable to the point that they felt like a monstrous child with two heads." (Gwon Yeongmin, "Land," Encyclopedia of Contemporary Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=334810&cid=41708&categoryId=41737.)
  3. ^ "Land," 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=877181&cid=60621&categoryId=60621.
  4. ^ "Land," Doopedia, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1153167&cid=40942&categoryId=33385.
  5. ^ "Pak Kyongni Introduction," Yes24, accessed November 26, 2019, http://www.yes24.com/24/AuthorFile/Author/682?VTYPE=AuthorIntroduction#ai.
  6. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Current Events and Common Knowledge, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1833373&cid=43667&categoryId=43667.
  7. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Korean Language and Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=694169&cid=60533&categoryId=60533.
  8. ^ "Land," 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=877181&cid=60621&categoryId=60621.
  9. ^ "Pak Kyongni Introduction," Yes24, accessed November 26, 2019, http://www.yes24.com/24/AuthorFile/Author/682?VTYPE=AuthorIntroduction#ai.
  10. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=530751&cid=46645&categoryId=46645.
  11. ^ "Land," Doopedia, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1153167&cid=40942&categoryId=33385.
  12. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=530751&cid=46645&categoryId=46645.
  13. ^ Publication Committee of Modern Korean Literature of A Century, Short History of Korean Literature, Vol.2: After the Independence (Seoul: Somyung Books, 2008), 186.
  14. ^ Gwon Yeongmin, "Land," Encyclopedia of Contemporary Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=334810&cid=41708&categoryId=41737.
  15. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=530751&cid=46645&categoryId=46645.
  16. ^ "Land," 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=877181&cid=60621&categoryId=60621.
  17. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Basic Literary Terms for High School Students, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=940170&cid=47319&categoryId=47319.
  18. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Current Events and Common Knowledge, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1833373&cid=43667&categoryId=43667.
  19. ^ Gwon Yeongmin, "Land," Encyclopedia of Contemporary Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=334810&cid=41708&categoryId=41737.
  20. ^ "Land," Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=530751&cid=46645&categoryId=46645.
  21. ^ Jeong Hyeon-gi, "Land," Reading Korean Classics, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=892272&cid=60554&categoryId=60554.
  22. ^ Publication Committee of Modern Korean Literature of A Century, Short History of Korean Literature, Vol.2: After the Independence (Seoul: Somyung Books, 2008), 186.
  23. ^ "The Earth," Naver Movie, accessed November 26, 2019, https://movie.naver.com/movie/bi/mi/basic.nhn?code=12160.
  24. ^ "The Earth," Doopedia, accessed November 26, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1168061&cid=40942&categoryId=33093.
  25. ^ "Land Search Result," Naver, accessed November 26, 2019, https://search.naver.com/search.naver?where=nexearch&sm=tab_etc&ie=utf8&os=666635&pkid=57&query=%ED%86%A0%EC%A7%80.
  26. ^ "Land Search Result," Naver, accessed November 26, 2019, https://search.naver.com/search.naver?where=nexearch&sm=tab_etc&mra=bjkw&pkid=57&os=659342&query=%ED%86%A0%EC%A7%80.
  27. ^ "TV Series Land," The Digital Local Culture Encyclopedia of Korea, October 31, 2019, https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=2660780&cid=51944&categoryId=54960.
  28. ^ "The Japanese Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/11042.
  29. ^ "The Chinese Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/8422.
  30. ^ "The Japanese Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/30087.
  31. ^ "The French Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/10205.
  32. ^ "The English Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/9454.
  33. ^ "The German Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/10572.
  34. ^ "The Dutch Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, 2019, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/16990.
  35. ^ "The Russian Translation of Land," Digital Library of Korean Literature, accessed November 26, https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/node/30200.
  36. ^ "The List of the Weoltan Literature Award Winners," Wikipedia Korea, , accessed November 26, https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%9B%94%ED%83%84%EB%AC%B8%ED%95%99%EC%83%81.


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