ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the “Korean” in Korean literature by exploring fiction and poetry in the context of a unique history of colonialism, war, post-war reconstruction, authoritarian rule, and the digital age. It examines how Korean intellectuals and writers perceived the challenge of the modern, as well as interrogate how the writing craft responded to a colonial regime that posed a growing threat to the future of Korea as a nation and Korean as a language. The colonization of Korea in 1910 marked the demise of the Chosun dynasty, and it cast a long shadow over Korea’s future. The late 90s brought significant political transformations to South Korea. The country’s democratically elected president took residence in the Blue House, enabling initial steps toward reconciliation of Korea’s troubled past. A student of Korean history might do well to turn to fiction and poetry as a refracting lens through which to appreciate the events of the twentieth century.
