Spring Fragrance

Author: Ryu In-gu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The Story of Chun-hyang, one of Korea's renowned classical masterpieces, features Geum-chun-hyang, a courtesan's daughter, and Lee Myeong-ryong, a scion of the aristocracy, as its protagonists. It depicts the love story between young men and women while advocating the breaking of feudal social hierarchy. It represents traditional literary works written in Korean and is hailed as Korea's Dream of the Red Chamber, Goryeo's Romeo and Juliet. It has been deeply loved by the Korean people.
The story of The Story of Chun-hyang originated in the Joseon Dynasty (14th to 18th centuries), equivalent to China's Ming and Qing dynasties, and was passed down through oral tradition and handwritten manuscripts in the streets and alleys. It was only by the late 18th century that it evolved into a complete literary work.
In terms of style, The Story of Chun-hyang has the characteristic of "narrative-singing literature." The "narrative" parts are written in prose, while the "singing" parts are in rhyming verse, resembling China's ancient "ci-hua" (verse-narrative). To preserve the original style of the play without hindering readability, the "singing" parts remain in rhyme, and the "narrative" parts, where the original text occasionally used a mix of rhyme and prose, are also translated accordingly.
Additionally, the original work cites numerous Chinese allusions, poetry, ancient sages, famous scenic spots, and literary anecdotes, demonstrating the long-standing cultural exchange between Korea and China.