• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.50
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• pp.1-29
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• 2018

In the contemporary American cinematic landscape, there is a distinctive tendency to depict the disturbing ways in which characters with brain damages perceive, remember, and think about the world. Despite its attempts to examine the socio-political implications of these characters' subjectivities, the previous scholarship on this trend of film was limited in being either too pessimistically deterministic or too euphorically optimistic. Critically reading neuroscientific discourses on the brain-damaged subject from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's critique of biopolitics, this paper explores how the contemporary American cinema of the impaired brain attempts to mediate the neurologically inexplicable affects of those subjects who are in the neurological state of exception and to express their experiences of a becoming-nonhuman. By closely reading Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan and Alejandro $Gonz{\acute{a}}lez$ $I{\tilde{n}}{\acute{a}}rritu^{\prime}s$ Birdman in this regard, I show how the two films, by employing different sets of cinematic free indirect techniques, express the neurologically impaired subject's affective experience of a becoming-nonhuman animal in different ways, and thereby to a more or less extent act as 'profaned' neuro-biopolitical apparatuses.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.47
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• pp.53-76
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• 2017

This paper is a study on the tasks to be carried out by Tsushima clan who invited the envoy -the 38th Munwihaeng- from Korea in 1747, and the process and results. This envoy sent out for the purpose of congratulating Tokugawa, Yoshimune's retirement and Tsushima lord's return home, and also negotiate about Korean Diplomatic Envoys to Japan coming in the future. In late 1745, Yoshimune retired, and Ieshige inherited the position of Shogun. Then in 1746 the Edo Shogunate ordered the Tsushima clan to invite the Korean Diplomatic Envoy to Edo between April and May two years after. To the Korean Diplomatic Envoy's invitation, many stages were necessary. In additon, Korea insisted on following the precedent in exchange with Japan. This time, throne of this new Shogun occurred due to retirement of the former Shogun. In the last 100 years, the history that the former Shogun died and the new Shogun reigned continued. For that reason, Korea had no record of sending letters and gifts to the old Shogun who retired. Because there was no precedent, Korea was unable to smoothly respond to Japan's request. This paper considers the negotiation process with Korea and the Tsushima clan, makes a prestige of the shogunate, in order to be recognized from the shogunate.

• Review of Culture and Economy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.105-128
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• 2017

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of distributors on the movie exhibition by distributor types. For the analysis, the concept 'screen elasticity of box office' is adopted. Using the weekly screening data of 94 hit movies released in Korea in 2014 and 2015, the panel analysis estimates the 'screen elasticity of box office' with the Hausman-Taylor estimator. The results show that the screen elasticity of box office is smaller for vertically integrated distributors(CJ E&M and Lotte Entertainment) and Hollywood distributors than the local distributors(Showbox and NEW) that do not own integrated cinemas. This means that exhibitors allocate a larger number of screens to vertically integrated distributors and Hollywood distributors. As the two distributor groups had higher market share during the period, the results imply that the screen elasticity is related to the market performance of distributors. Smaller screen elasticity of the vertically integrated distributors might be related not to the ownership to theaters but to higher market share of the distributors.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.48
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• pp.107-133
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• 2017

This study compares the history of modern Korean literature written in China with the history of South Korean literature, the history of North Korean literature and the history of national literature, explores aspects of narrative and therefore examines transcultural practice presented in such texts. There have hitherto been approximately 25 works on the history of Korean literature written in China, and 16 of 25 works are on the history of modern Korean literature. Regarding their purpose, the number of pedagogical works outstandingly exceeds the number of research works. In terms of perspective and contents, it can be divided into three categories; one that only embraces the history of South Korean literature, another embracing the history of North Korean literature only and the other embracing the history of South Korean and North Korean literature. This study has selected representative texts from each category and compared recognition and narrative aspects to that of the history of South Korean literature, the history of North Korean literature and the history of Chinese literature. It further examines loci of definitions' transfer and formation as well. As a result, this study reveals valuable understanding of recognition and narration of the history of Korean literature. First, this study offers an introspective attitude, as the history of modern Korean literature accentuates influence of only Western literature, overlooking influence of Chinese literature. Second, this study proposes a new narrative perspective on the history of Unified Korean literature through independent and objective identification of the history of North Korean literature. Last, it emphasizes popularization of literature - aside from pure literary-centrism - and expands possibilities of embracing distinct works relevant to multimedia.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.41
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• pp.299-320
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• 2015

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland expands scope of Children's Literature genre by introducing the discourse of pleasure as opposed to that of didactic discipline. Carroll's narrative is important, not only for children's literature, but also as a forerunner of post/modernism of James Joyce with its language play and linguistic invention. Its treatment of Alice's body change follows the motif of body transformation in myth and literature. Comparing "stasis" of Susan Sontag's character Alice (James) in her play Alice in Bed and "movement" of Carroll's Alice, this study explores the issues of woman's alienation and the dichotomy of mobility/immobility in reality and in their literary representations. Focusing on a female child's double alienation as woman and child, I argue Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a counter-narrative of alternative bildungsroman. Alice gains her subjectivity through her adventure by power of language and story-telling. Through representation of the dream/adventure of two desiring sisters, Carroll's narrative exhibits subversion of social order and emergence of new order of "chaosmos" out of chaos. As a method of study, this study traces genealogy of "curiosity" in myth and literature as a motivating force that triggers adventure and argues "creative curiosity" is a dynamic energy propelling Alice's adventure.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.46
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• pp.1-20
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• 2017

This study tries to examine the emotion of the elite characters in Son Jangsoon's early novel, The Koreans. In this novel, most characters are found to have an envy feeling, except for two female characters, Heeyeon and Sue Han. Although the writer does not consciously explore the envy feeling here, she excellently represents the harmful effects of the envy feeling. In this novel, the envy feeling is related to the desire for success and its frustration. In 1960's, people had high expectation of improvement in their individual lives. The elite groups were more likely to have a successful life with good education. But in this novel, these elite people suffer from frustration of their desire and experience of the envy feeling. The impressive point in this novel is that not only females but also males are shown to have the envy feeling. Envious people have the tendency to compare themselves with people around them, to feel shame in an inferior position and to aspire for superiority. In these envious characters, the feeling of envy reveals their lack, their inferiority and it never provides them with the way to escape from their suffering situation. The writer suggests that the envy feeling can be overcome by pursuing other valuable things and focussing not on other people's desire but on their own desire.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.46
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• pp.173-197
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• 2017

The present work aims to analyze the concept of space in $Jes{\acute{u}}s$ $Fern{\acute{a}}ndez$ Santos' work Los bravos. Throughout its pages, one can observe the multidimensional possibilities of space in literature. Throughout time, the concept of literary space has developed and it has been modified constantly in order to meet the needs required for the evolution of narratology. In the past, Aristotle stated that space is the place where characters and physical objects happen to exist. This remained almost unchanged until the Renaissance. In the $19^{th}$ century, space stopped being considered just a mere scene where the action takes place as it was given more importance by romantic authors in their works. Realism intensified the spaces as the interior of the house. In fact, the descriptions of space became more important. In this article, I focus on the various meanings of space in the novel Los bravos. First, I analyze the dichotomy between real and ideal spaces, and continue with the cathartic dimension of the fictional space. Then, I present and analyze the opposition between urban and rustic spaces in this novel, and, finally, I show the confrontation between the spaces of men and women. Through this analysis, we can observe that characters have a space where they feel more comfortable and how, occasionally, they leave their "usual space of action" to reach their "ideal place". Women want to stay in their kitchen to chat with each other, while men prefer to leave the house to visit a cafe with their colleagues. The door and the window divide the border of the worlds of men and women. However, that line is not only dividing the structure of the house, but it is also of a psychological house.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.43
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• pp.327-354
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• 2016

Rimbaud's prose poem, Barbare in Illuminations, is known for its abstruseness with regard to forms, themes, metaphors. This paper first analyzes the poem's grammatical structure to make sense of such an inscrutable piece of work, then discusses its autotextuality in order to decipher its meaning by comparison with Rimbaud's other works. Autotextuality, a method of literary interpretation of Rimbaud's prose poem presented by Steve Murphy, refers to the intertextuality between the author's works. Despite some previous researches focusing on the intertextuality of Barbare, previous authors have failed not only to find its meaning but also to determine its significance. The abstruseness of Rimbaud's Barbare is sometimes considered an example of the meaningless of Rimbaud's work. However, examining the textual structure and the autotextuality builds meaning, rather than rendering the work meaningless. Barbare which consists entirely of noun phrases and metaphors means destruction, fusion and the pure power of regeneration in the original context of Rimbaud's work. This poem is Rimbaud's answer to Baudelaire's poetic question, Any of where out of World, and presents a strange scenery that uses 'the eternal female voice' to reach the Vulcan in the North Pole. Interpretation of Barbare could provide a methodology for reading the difficult Illuminations. The kind of analyses used are, for example, analysis of the text, analysis of verbal indicators, autotextuality, and an understanding of the joy and the solitude in the silence of the poem. Understanding Barbare may provide a method of interpreting the abstruseness of Illuminations. Through this approach, we can connect and combine every fragment of the Illuminations, so that we can reconstruct the story and the adventure contained therein.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.42
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• pp.393-418
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• 2016

Raquel, the representative work of Vicente García de la Huerta, an 18th century Spanish playwright achieved theater box-office success and popularity during staging. It has been evaluated by many scholars and critics as the ideal drama that faithfully followed the norms of neoclassicism, which pervaded the aesthetic mainstream at the time. However, the factor that enabled the popular success of this theater production was its ability to harmonize the themes or contents with a traditional play to meet the unique trends and tastes of Spanish viewers who were still appreciated earlier Baroque theater, rather than complying with external norms of neoclassicism such as principle of three unities or exclusion of comic figures etc. That is, Spanish viewers of the time thoroughly rejected theater of neoclassicists who attempted to unilaterally enlighten them while regarding the Baroque theater of earlier times as full of superstition and irrationality, illogic and disorder, regardless of their own dramatic taste. In this situation, Huerta's tragedy Raquel, achieved the harmony of neoclassical tragedy and Spanish theatrical tradition. It thus emphasizes the importance of public support and sponsorship in dramatic success. Traditional dramatic elements shown in Raquel can be summarized as honor, poetic justice and love and these elements are major dramatic codes penetrating the entire Baroque theater of Spain.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.46
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• pp.379-409
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• 2017

The villainous characters of the Marquis de Sade do not regard pity and consternation that one usually feels at the sight of poor people as natural. Such feelings are simply rejected. Therefore, Sade's characters immediately suggest that the hospitals established by religious congregations under the Ancien Regime should disappear. However, it is important to note that enlightened thinkers are aware of the abuses caused by hospitals at that time, claiming that they are to be blamed for the worsening situation of the poor. Thus, the General Assembly of the Constituents tried to nationalize the possessions of the hospitals, going as far as abolishing every charity institution. This article aims at linking Sade's hatred for hospitals to the issues his contemporaries raise about charity institutions. More particularly, revolutionary thinkers want to replace the considerably rich hospitals with small hospices or domiciliary care. Such actions will help reduce national budget spending and simplify the administrative procedures. Sade's libertines view poverty issues in the society from different perspectives: philosophical, political and economic. Let us not forget that they insist on social assistance systems which would suit both the ideals and the circumstances of the new Republic. We understand that Sade took precautions against the impending return of religion and monarchy, which were expelled by the Revolution. Under the Ancien Regime, people tolerated hospitals on the pretext that they arouse natural feelings such as beneficence and compassion. Well, to say the least, Sade is not wrong in raising awareness on this issue.