A River of ‘Han’: Eastern Tragedy in a Western Land
A Study of Korean American Literature
by Stephen Joyce
Hardback (Published)
(May 2015)
ISBN: 9783825364588
5.28 x 8.27 inches
Price: $59.00
On back order
Is there a non-Western form of tragedy? This volume argues that the Korean concept of han should be considered an Eastern tragic vision which is gaining prominence in the West through the critically acclaimed works of diasporic writers such as Nobel Prize-nominee Richard E. Kim, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, and Chang-rae Lee. Through close readings of the works of leading Korean American authors, the book explicates the philosophical, historical, and postcolonial roots of ‘han’ and its distinctive aesthetics in contrast to classical Western tragedy. It then examines how specific authors deploy this concept to portray the cultural conditions of Asian Americans and offers powerful insights into the interplay of cultural memory and aesthetics. Finally, the tragic vision offers a counterpoint to many of the optimistic visions of social change that underpin contemporary theories of ethnic or postcolonial fiction and offers a critical perspective on foundational theoretical assumptions.
- By (author) Stephen Joyce
Other Titles in this Series
Deliberately Out of Bounds
Women's Work on Classical Myth in Nineteenth-Century American Fiction
Volume 282
John F. Kennedy and the ‘Thousand Days’
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Volume 144
Performing America Abroad
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Volume 297
Medical Humanities in American Studies
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Volume 292
Entgrenzung der Geschichte
Eine Untersuchung zum historischen Denken der amerikanischen Postmoderne
Volume 122
Schauspiele des Sehens
Die Figur der Flaneurin, Voyeurin und Stalkerin im U.S.-amerikanischen Essay
Volume 239
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