International Conference: “Studies on Vietnamese and Korean Literature and Films in the Context of Globalization”

Name: Nguyen Hong Thuy

Dept. of Korean Language and Literature

The Graduate School, Seoul National University

A Comparative Research of Jeong Cheol’s Jeonhu Miingok (前後美人曲) and Nguyen Gia Thieu’s Cung Oan Ngam Khuc (宮怨吟曲) -From the Perspective of Yeongun Siga (戀君詩歌)

ABSTRACT

The objective of this paper is to compare Jeong Cheol’s (鄭澈) Jeonhu Miingok (前後美人曲), (which is the term for both Samiingok (思美人曲) and Sokmiingok (續美人曲) ), and Nguyen Gia Thieu’s (阮嘉韶) Cung Oan Ngam Khuc (宮怨吟曲) and to also deepen the understanding of both national languages and literature developed in South Korea and Vietnam, which are within the range of an universal language.

First, Chapter II introduces the lives of Jeong Cheol and Nguyen Gia Thieu along with background stories behind their creation of work.

Jeonhu Miingok and Cung Oan Ngam Khuc all share similarities as both male authors speak in the voices of the female speakers abandoned by their lovers and all belong to the genre of the unique long poems written in the national languages.

Chapter III reviews the differences between the works by analyzing their compositions and sentiments of the poetic speakers.

Chapter IV derives the meanings of the works based on results of a comparative analysis. Jeong Cheol and Nguyen Gia Thieu are noblemen from the medieval era who could have the ability to create Chinese poetry and writings skillfully. However, to sing for their lovers, they wrote the long poems in their national languages rather than in Chinese. Through the national-language literature including Korean propositions in Samiingok, honorifics and normal words in Sokmiingok, and proverbs, folk songs, and colloquial styles in Cung Oan Ngam Khuc, the authors were able to include the unique beauty and characteristics of each country’s language and express their situations and emotions.

In this paper, Cung Oan Ngam Khuc is newly observed from the perspective of Yeongun Siga (戀君詩歌) through the comparison with Jeonhu Miingok. It is also possible to confirm the meaning of the Yeongun (戀君) spirit shown in Jeonhu Miingok through the comparison with Cung Oan Ngam Khuc. The attempt to compare and contrast Jeonhu Miingok and Cung Oan Ngam Khuc from the view of Yeongun Siga (戀君詩歌) helps understanding East Asian literature comprehensively. It is significant to show how the “middle parts,” South Korea and Vietnam, based on China as the ‘center,’ have built the relationship and accomplished their literary achievements.

Keywords: Jeonhu Miingok, Jeong Cheol, Cung Oan Ngam Khuc, Nguyen Gia Thieu, Yeongun Siga