Thursday, December 13, 2012

Genre Analysis Princess Pari and Comfort Woman


       Professor Kun Jong Lee’s article in the East Asia Cultures Critique, Fall 2004, “Princess Pari in Nora Okja Keller’s Comfort Woman”, provided an overall general scholarly analysis of the main characters in Keller’s novel and Princess Pari character from a popular South Korean folktale from the Choson Dynasty. The novel, Comfort Woman was written by a Korea American, Nora Okja Keller, in early 1990’s when South Korean women began to come forward to attest about atrocities and enslavement by the imperial Japanese military during and after the Pacific War (WWI time-frame) for which they were victims. Lee’s article provided deep insight into the relationship between the folktale of Princess Pari and the methods Keller used to transform the original manuscript of the folktale, (viewed to reflect patriarchy, patrilineal, and misogynistic culture which was widespread in the Neo-Confucianist era in Korea and Japan), with an adaptation with shamanistic rituals to invoke dialogue in the Asian communities about feminism, colonialism, trans-nationalism and sexuality which are accepted more in modern era to discuss. Lee pointed out that Keller’s transformation of a former “comfort woman” into a shaman correlates to the depiction of a former comfort woman as Princess Pari. In that, the shamanistic narrative of Princess Pari is used as a critique of the patriarchy, androcentric, and misogynistic Korean society, as well as, in Japan with their colonialism and ethnocentrism. This essay studied the full spectrum of Keller’s difficult engagement with the myth of Princess Pari as a valuable and potent site for feminist articulation.
            The type of audience for this article would be Asian studies scholars and students, Korean-American literary writers interested in gender rights among Asian women, and transnational gender identification between Korean-American societies. Lee’s in-depth analysis of shamanistic rituals practiced by Korean shamans, who are predominantly female, included virtual accounts written about by other authors interested in the phenomenon of shamanistic trances and meticulous rituals practiced by Korean historical ancestors and current day shamans. The reader must have at least a high school reading level to keep up with the deep cultural and historical aspects of the societies in Korea and Japan during the early 1930’s described with some graphic sexual language depicting explicit details of physical and emotional abuse. Keller was inspired by a true story of Keum Ju Hwang, an actual ‘comfort woman’, during a human rights symposium in Hawaii in 1993. This type of real account would be an interest to those studying colonialism between Japan and Korea after WWII.
The ethos is evident in this article printed by Duke University Press was posted in the East Asia Cultures Critique, which is a professional forum for people concerned with the social, intellectual, and political events within Asia for the purpose of dialogue for rethinking their priorities in scholarship, teaching and criticism. This article was supported by Korea Research Foundation Grant. Lee’s article would require at least an hour or two for a complete read with it being 22 pages in length using some Korean and scholarly language used in higher level high school and/or college literature. The phonetic use of Korean words could confuse the reader, unless the reader is well versed or have the ability to translate via dictionary or on-line search; however, the impact of such use of words show the article is geared towards Korean-American scholars. The article is mainly informative written in a sterile fashion by a Korean English Literature Professor with providing historical context to show empathy for the victims which he can relate based on similar nationality, but neutral due to difference of gender between him and the victims for which Keller’s novel projects. Lee seem credible due to the multiple referenced writers who are touted to be the subject matter experts in areas of Korean shamanism, colonialism by the Japanese military, and various feminist writers to include those of Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.
The analysis was methodical in providing organized summaries of the origin of the Princess Pari folktale, the historical accounts/testimonial of comfort women and Korean shamans, interviews with Keller regarding her motivation to write Comfort Woman, and how Princess Pari relates to comfort women. The logical structure provided an easy to follow sequence of events and thoughts which clarified the role Princess Pari played in the two main characters used in the novel. Lee also provided insight as to the main characters to thrive in-between cultures from Soon Hyo (the mother) experienced difference between the Korean society she came from adapting to the Japanese colonialism, then Beccah (the daughter) experienced from the American culture she was born into adapting to being raised by a Korean mother. They both, according to Lee, used Korean shamanism as a psychological anchor and cultural agency to make sense of an unfamiliar society.
The details and images used centered the agony and suffering by “comfort women” and anguish experienced by the main characters in Keller’s novel due to a lack of voice. Lee provides keen historical explanation for the reader to understand what was readily accepted in Korea during the Choson Dynasty in Korea through the traditional mindset of Korean and Japanese societies following the Pacific War. Lee provided numerous examples to support the harsh realities and reflection of the common people to survive the sadness, pain, frustration, and limitations of those Korean women who have been since labeled “comfort women”. The importance shamanism played in the Korean society during that era is explained well by Lee using excerpts from other authors who have provided factual accounts and literature provided visual descriptions a reader can imagine with little effort.
I plan to use this article in my future writing assignment for this literature class at University of Texas El Paso in the required format. I will examine more closely other scholarly articles which cover the subject areas of Princess Pari, “comfort women”, Nora Okja Keller’s novel, and feminist articulation for research regarding further writing assignments. The relationship between the mother and the daughter in Keller’s novel should provide a more personal reflection for not only my interest in this novel, but the various subject matters it contains. There is a rich history available for me to share with my class regarding the empowerment of victims, for everyone should be entitled to have their own voice. I will follow the learning module for the requirements given to the class for our Literary Analysis assignment using our chosen text and visit the writing center for any questions or checks on deficiencies in order to correct my mistakes in writing.
               



Works Cited
Kun Jong Lee. "Princess Pari in Nora Okja Keller's Comfort Woman." positions: east asia
cultures critique12.2 (2004): 431-456. Project MUSE. Web. 29 Aug. 2012.
<http://muse.jhu.edu/>.