ABSTRACT
Wonhyeong 원형 means an original form or shape (hanja 原形), an archetype (hanja 元型), or a prototype or pattern (hanja 原型), depending on the field in which the term is used. In English-language research on Korean performing arts, it is generally glossed as “original form” (see Yang 2003; Howard 2006), or “archetypal form” (see Saeji 2015). Used in the compound noun munhwa wonhyeong 문화원형 (cultural archetype), it encompasses “all about the [Korean] ethnic culture that has been formed over the long history spanning from the pre-historic period to the modern times” (Korea Creative Content Agency 2016). Wonhyeong defines and ultimately essentializes Korean-ness, thereby distinguishing Korea and Koreans from the rest of the world. Being thus predicated on national identity and cultural authenticity, the notion of wonhyeong plays a pivotal role not only in constructing cultural memory but also in forging a vision of Korea and Koreans.
