• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.661-692
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• 2009

From the Darwinian perspective, all the human behaviors and thoughts are operated by "the selfish gene," the term coined by Richard Dawkins, which has long been evolving to survive by utilizing the limited quality and quantity of resources. And an organism which fails to regenerate by creating its "replicator" is doomed to extinction, for gene combinations which help an organism to survive and reproduce tend to also improve the gene's own chances of being passed on through generations. Dawkins also coins the term "meme" for a unit of human cultural evolution analogous to the gene, suggesting that such selfish replication may also be the principle for human culture. Ian McEwan is not only a controversial but more importantly influential writer in the 21st century academic world. His 1997 book Enduring Love is not exceptional in that it draws both literary and scientific attention. Intentionally set up with the dynamic conflict between the two cultures, namely art and science, the book explores the way in which the state of the modern minds is misinterpreted and estranged by each other. In this novel, the three main protagonists, Joe, Clarissa, and Jed, each representing the very important three elements of human civilization-cognition/science, emotion/art, and faith/religion-meet an unexpected peril of life. The author of the novel employs the narrative of evolutionary science-in particular the narratives of gene and meme-to provoke the question of the two cultures famously addressed by Snow in the mid 20th century and the further discussions followed by the later Darwinian scholars such as Richard Dawkins. In this paper I aim to illustrate the way in which the author develops the idea of gene science and literature and how he proceeds to provide a sophisticated bridge between the two cultures and induce a kind of consilience by the recurrent name of love in the story of Enduring Love.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.235-251
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• 2006

This study aims to analyze what Saul Bellow wants to define "Love" in his recent work, More Die of Heartbreak. As a humanist, Saul Bellow is concerned about materialism in Post-modern age through his works. Today there are so many people that are hurt by the failure of love or experience heartbreak. We need to sense invisible danger all around us. We can find Bellovian love in More Die of Heartbreak. Bellow suggests that there should be "true love" between people, especially between men and women. But Kenneth Trachtenberg and Benn Crader have selfish and materialistic love. Kenneth had only a sensual desire for Treckie who is his daughter's mother. He cannot persuade Treckie to marry him. Benn, a middle-aged widower, peremptorily marries Matilda Layamon who is much younger than he. Unfortunately, the marriage brings him neither peace nor love. Benn recognizes his wrong conception of love through the death of Mrs. Bedell and Villitzer, and breaking off a marriage with Matilda. He decides to go to Antarctica. This is not an escape. This is his determination to save himself. At the North Pole he sets out to recover his gift of vision and redeem his fall from grace. He will desert his materialistic and absurd self. After the expedition, he will experience rebirth as an authentic human being who has acceptable eyes. Kenneth and Benn learn to conceive of love as one of man's strongest inner energies, for it is through love that you can penetrate to the essence of human being. In this study I try to define Bellovian love. In More Die of Heartbreak, love is a spiritual power that may even transfigure man.

• American Studies
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.99-114
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• 2020

This essay examines how Wallace Thurman envisions throug h Emma Lou a possibility of overcoming self-hatred and moving toward self-acceptance in his novel, The Blacker the Berry. Focusing on Emma Lou's departure from Alva and his deformed son, this essay contends that her "selfish" act is the first step toward self-acceptance. Describing his dark-skinned protagonist's pathetic attempts to belong to light-skinned people, Thurman mercilessly exposes and criticizes Emma Lou's psychological contradictions. Simultaneously, however, Thurman sympathizes with and shows some respect for her endeavors to make a difference in her life. Emma Lou's redemption from her self-hatred can come only when she realizes its detrimental effects on her life and learns to love herself enough to be selfish. By granting Emma Lou an opportunity to conduct a serious self-examination and resolve to sever ties with Alva, Thurman demonstrates a possibility of fighting against the color prejudice found both inside and outside oneself.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.39-46
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• 2020

Graham Greene's The Quiet American is a war novel set in Vietnam. Thus, although war-related political stories are mainly unfolded, this novel presumes that Westerners are basically superior to the colored Vietnamese. In addition to racial issues, it describes the dual discrimination and inequality that women face. Phung, a Vietnamese woman who wishes to live a rich and comfortable life through marriage to a Western man, is a gender underdog oppressed by the capital and males. She is discriminated against by selfish views created by men, such as being expressed as an ignorant woman who can feel physical pain but not mental pain and being described as a partner to satisfy men's pleasure. Fowler and Pyle, the male lead characters who are gender strong, treat the Asian woman as a low-status person who is qualitatively different from Westerner and use and exploit the woman simply to satisfy their selfish needs. Therefore, it is hard to say that this story involves true love, as it is based on an unequal relationship. Eventually, Pyle's death brings Phung back to Fowler, confirming that Asian women are unable to escape from the gender underdog of Western men.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.181-209
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• 2019

The purpose of this article is to compare zombie narratives in relation to the Other. In previous research, the view of zombies as post-capitalist soulless consumers or workers has been frequently expressed. But in this article, I wanted to look at zombies as the main cause of the collapse of the world and a new future. First, zombies do not only mean the representation of the consumer in the late capitalist era. Rather, it is an awakening subject desiring the outside of the system. As you can see from the Uncanny's point of view, zombies are something that we should oppress as freaks and monsters that threatened the Other. To be a zombie in this way is to meet one's other self, the "Fundamentals of Humanity," and it is the moment when everything becomes the subject ex nihilo, the new beginning. Second, the concept of infection shows a new ethic. Zombie cannibalism is different from the selfish love of a vampire who sucks a worker's blood. Zombie cannibalism is an infection, which is a model of Christian love for one's neighbor. It is a moment of awakening and the beginning of solidarity. It is on the waiting for the solidarity that the zombie hangs in such a way, and the attack on the human being is an active illusion. Third, the situation of the end of a zombie narrative is another event for newness. The anger of a zombie serves not just to show monsters, but acts as a catalyst that accelerates the world's catastrophes. The anger of zombies is the messianic violence that stops the false world, and presents a new way. The emergence of zombies and the popular response to them embody a desire for the possibility of a new subject and world.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.79-101
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• 2002

The present study was to investigate the psychological characteristics of Urie(義理; interpersonal morality) in Korean interpersonal relationships in terms of qualitative approach and quantitative approach. In study 1, the authors developed an open-ended questionnaire focused on Urie behavior and not Urie behavior. The results revealed that helping, trusting, and caring behaviors and historicality were the key elements of Urie relationships. On the other hand, selfish and distrusting behaviors disrupted Urie relationships. In study 2, the authors conducted video experiment in order to study how the subjects interpret and understand Urie phenomenon. This video stimulus composed of love and friendship. The main characters showed their conflicts between love and friendship. Thus, subjects were asked to answer their interpretations and understandings about what was going on according to the scene. In study 3, we made three kinds of scenarios which were constituted in conflict situation between close friends who works together at their own company. If one asks some favors to you against social justice, how do you do? Most subjects evaluated the whistle blowing behavior as moral and just. However, they evaluated the insider as not good friend. They evaluated one who did favor even though that behavior was socially unjust as good friend and having Urie. Consequently, Korean people emphasize on their human relationships in everyday life. Urie relationship is built in close and Cheong relationship.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.456-466
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• 2018

Nathaniel Hawthorne mainly deals with the ethical problems of sin and punishment in his works. Through these topics, readers have the opportunity to look more deeply into human nature. In Rappaccini's Daughter, he explains how the power of men influences a woman's life and drives her to death. Her father, Rappaccini, cultivates plants in his garden that are toxic and conducts a scientific experiment that gives his daughter Beatrice a fatal level of toxicity. He insists that this experiment was performed to protect Beatrice, but ultimately, it causes her death. Giovanni, who falls in love with Beatrice, provided an antidote in the attempt to detoxify her, but it resulted in her death. Finally, Baglioni used Giovanni to steer Beatrice to drink the antidote to defend his social status. The three men's selfishness and jealousy led to the demise of Beatrice, who eventually died from the selfish power of men and not due to her toxicity.

• Journal of Korean Classical Literature and Education
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• no.32
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• pp.327-355
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• 2016

This study aims to identify petit bourgeois desires through the characters in "Oksosun Stories" from Cheonyerok, an eighteenth-century Yadam anthology. The desires and motivations of the characters are quite secular and egocentric. Because of this, their shared characteristics are similar to those of the petit bourgeois, as neutral existence begins to emerge during the transition from feudal to modern society. The concept of petit bourgeois generally means the public and the working class of modern society. The main character's behavior in the story differs little from general petit bourgeois attitudes. An important belief in petit bourgeois is not the ruling ideology in society but the achievement and stability of realistic and ordinary desires to fulfill their lives' satisfaction. Also selfish or antisocial attitudes and boundary characteristics appear in the process, depending on whether subject having any desire. However, the character's actions are limited in the governance system of a huge reality. And It is characterized by end goal being to meet their upward mobility and stability. This corresponds with Seang's (書生) actions of turning his back on his family and country as well as promising Jaran his love; and, he redeems himself with his family and society by acquiring stability after he passed the state examination. Furthermore, the contemporary significance of this work demonstrates Seang (書生) discovering his desires for human love; therefore, in order to affirm and gratify this desire, he endures the societal state of semi-feudalism against filial duty (不孝), disloyalty (不忠), and non-chastity (不烈), and he acts independently. In addition, on the strength of his pursuit of his desires, Oksosun frees herself from the caste restraint called gisaeng (妓生) and affirms her desire to become a subject of love, but she then deviates from the social system. Moreover, the limitations and achievements of the petit bourgeois are indicated in the actions of recognizing the social threshold of their past in the process, making independent efforts using their capabilities, fulfilling success in the state examination with their intellectual capacity, and re-entering society. From the late Chosun Dynasty to modern times, there is not only the type of contemporary people who hunger for fulfillment of their personal desire and live in free will, but there is also the feudal type that is still lacking in the understanding of independent life. This is not as different as in these present times. This literature asserts the meaning of awakening one's self-existence and assigning great value to the fulfillment of self-desires against the odds that are created by socio-political, cultural, economic norms of the era. "Oksosun Story" affirms the small efforts and successes of private individuals in reality. It also validates the search for life happiness through positivity. In this sense, even the contemporary reader would derive valid meaningfulness from this literature.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.72
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• pp.341-366
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• 2022

In Korean society, church once witnessed the period of its being considered light and salt. After the liberation, Korean church bestowed Jesus Christ's love to underprivileged neighbors in the industrialization process and organized practical participation activities for human rights and democratization. Nonetheless, church was sunken into quantitative growth without having qualitative growth. As church was cited as the epicenter of the spreading COVID-19, the image of selfish church has started receiving attention and there has appeared a criticism for immoral church tendency, which brought low trust about church. These things are resulted from church's failure to undertake its role with responsibility, in society. Such as this, church has lost its identity as the model of the Kingdom of God. In such a situation, church needs to remind itself of the enlightenment of the Ecumenical Movement, in order to recover trust and perform its mission. The Ecumenical Movement means accomplishing unification of the universe through a renewed church. This movement is aimed to create the earth as 'where humans can stay' and to consider the sustainability of mankinds. This purpose of this study is to examine political activities conducted for responsible participation in the church world and to find the way for church roles in this world. This researcher will attempt to investigate educational methods to help Christians in this world take full responsibility given to them, through an educational discussion about Christianity made in this context. This educational attempt means, in other words, political affairs also.