• Title/Summary/Keyword: "Behind a Mask"

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Dualism in Carlyle's Sartor Resartus: Descendentalism and Transcendentalism

  • Yoon, Hae-Ryung
    • Journal of English Language & Literature
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    • v.55 no.3
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    • pp.399-413
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    • 2009
  • Pointing out the reality of criticism done mostly on Carlyle s original structure and rhetoric in his Sartor Resartus, this research paper focuses on Carlyle s dualistic philosophy revealed in the work, limiting its focus mostly to the dualistic theme of descendentalism and transcendentalism. The essence of Caryle s descendentalism is his irony and satire on human civilization, not for criticism itself, like other satirists, but rather out of his deep, secret humanism behind his mask. Roughly the two objects of his social criticism in the contemporary, descendentalisitc world, are mechanism and materialism in a variety of new ideologies. To diagnose the Zeitgeist and disillusion man living in contemporary civilization, Carlyle in this work uses a very original metaphor, the clothes-symbol. According to Carlyle, human history and progress can be said to be originated from man s adventitious invention of clothes that was not for biological need or social decency, but for decoration, the instinct of which implies man s innate vanity and desire. Interestingly enough here, however, Carlyle uses the same metaphor of clothes for his vision of transcendence, the world of Everlasting Yea. Man is also God s apparel and Matter is that of Spirit. Carlyle s Everlasting Yea world stresses especially the two attitudes, belief in God and love of man, which have been recently jeopardized in the socalled descendentalistic world. But Carlyle s transcendental and religious vision in Sartor Resartus is, as critics also have agreed, a unique and mysterious vision as something different from orthodox Christianity or other Victorian ideologies, as more like an amalgamation among Calvinism, Romanticism, Platonism and German Idealism. All in all, reading Sartor Resartus is still a valuable experience of an idiosyncratically original vision along with his warning against dehumanizing forces lurking in the name of civilization and with his ultimate eulogy on man, proving descendentalism as just part of transcendentalism, although the reader from time to time can be embarrassed by his male-centered, politically conservative, and individual-oriented dynamism.

Anarchy of Empire and Empathy of Suffering: Reading of So Far from the Bamboo Grove and Year of Impossible Goodbyes from the Perspectives of Postcolonial Feminism (제국의 혼동과 고통의 분담 -탈식민페미니즘의 관점에서 본 『요코 이야기』와 『떠나보낼 수 없는 세월』)

  • Yu, Jeboon
    • Journal of English Language & Literature
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    • v.58 no.1
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    • pp.163-183
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    • 2012
  • This paper is one of those attempts to explore some possibility of agreement between feminist discourse and postcolonial discourses through the approach of postcolonial feminism in the reading of the controversial novel, So Far from the Bamboo Grove and Year of Impossible Goodbyes. So Far from the Bamboo Grove, when read from the perspective of postcolonial feminism, reveals 'domestic nationalism' of imperial narratives in which the violence of imperial history in Korea is hidden behind the picture of every day lives of an ordinary Japanese family and Japanese women. Furthermore, postcolonial feminist's perspective interprets Yoko family's nostalgia for their 'home,' Nanam in Korea, as 'imperialist nostalgia' working as a mask to hide the violent history of colonization of Empire. In this way, postcolonial feminist reading of the story detects the ways the narrative of Empire appropriates women, family image and even nostalgia for childhood. At the same time, this perspective explains the readers' empathy for Yoko family's suffering and the concerning women issues caused by wartime rape and sexual violence by defining Yoko as a woman of Japanese Empire, whose life of interstice between imperial men and colonial men cannot be free from violence of rape during anti colonial wars. Year of Impossible Goodbyes as a counter discourse does not overcome the traditional binary opposition of nationalism which quietens gender and class issues. As an attempt to fill in the interstice between the two perspectives of feminism and postcolonialism. postcolonial feminist reading turns out to be a valid tool for the reading of the two novels chosen here.

Korea's Street Processions and Traditional Performing Arts (한국의 가두행렬(街頭行列)과 전통연희)

  • Jeon, KyungWook
    • (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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    • no.18
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    • pp.513-557
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    • 2009
  • The procession depicted in Goguryeo's ancient tomb mural consists of guards, honor guards, music band, and performing artists. Since this coincides with the royal processions of Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties, the relationship of its impact can be examined. The performing arts appearing in such street procession were mostly sanakbaekhui. During the Goryeo Dynasty, the king visited Bongeunsa templ when the lotus lantern festival was celebrated. At such time, on the left and right sides of the road travelled by the king were installed mountains made of lanterns and trees made of lanterns. The procession was quite large in scale and was accompanied by colorful music and performances. In the narye ceremony of the Goryeo Dynasty, as in China, street procession and performing arts took place. The jisinbarbgi performed by a peasant band in early January is a custom of narye. A new character appears in the royal narye during the first half of the Joseon period. Therefore the features of narye transforming according to the changes of the times can be examined. In the Joseon Dynasty's procession of a king returning to the palace, the royal band in front and behind the carriage of the king played marching music, and led by a sanbung this street procession headed toward the palace. Various performances also took place during this time. The samilyuga and munhuiyeon were festivals of the yangban class(nobility). Those who passed the state examination hired musicians and performers and paraded around town in Seoul for three days to celebrate the auspicious outcome for their family and to show off their family's power. In the Joseon's dongje and eupchijeui ceremonies, street processions were carried out with a shrine deity image or symbolic flag at the head. The dongje in a Korean village, combined with jisinbarbgi, incorporated a procession with the flags ymbolizing the guardian deity of the village at the head, and this went from house to house. The procession of suyeongyaru had the publicity impact of a mask play performance, and by creating a sense of unity among the participants, heightened the celebratory atmosphere. At the core of the bukcheonggun toseongri gwanweonnori was as treet procession imitating the traveling of high government officials. The toseong gwanweonnori has the folk religion function of praying for safe human living and abundance of grains for the village, the entertainment function of having fun and joy through street processions and various performances, and the social function of creating unity and harmony among the residents. In all the aforementioned events, the street procession had a large role in creating a celebratory atmosphere, and the performance of traditional performing arts in the middle of the procession or after the procession enabled the participants to feel united. The participants of the street procession felt cultural pride and self-confidence through the various events and they were able to have the opportunity to show off and proudly display their abilities.