EALC 275: Masterpieces of East Asian Literature Lecture #28: The Song of a Faithful Wife, Ch’un-hyang Dec. 4, 2013Parts III &IVCh’un-hyang’s ordeal 1 • The villain of the piece: the new governor -- the villains of popular literature are often corrupt officials • For him, Ch’un-hyang is a kisaeng whose duty it is to obey the current officeholders, but she sees herself as a loyal wifeCh’un-hyang’s ordeal 2 • Her argument: for a woman to betray her husband is like a minister betraying his lord -- Within five relationships outlined by Confucius -- father and son, ruler and subject, husband and wife, elder brother and younger brother, friend and friend • The analogy between these two sets of relationships was extremely pervasive in pre-1900 East Asia and was a rhetorical device used in literary works by both men and women. • Exiled scholar-officials often wrote in the voice of an “abandoned woman”Ch’un-hyang’s ordealOfficial VS Courtesan • “She is a kisaeng’s daughter. She is so beautiful that when great gentlemen and writers and such-like come this way, they ask to see her, but mother and daughter refuse. Not only the gentry, but even the men who live in the household, have not seen her once in ten years, much less spoken to her. However, it seems that by a strange dispensation of heaven your predecessor’s son met her and was betrothed to her. When he left Namwon, he said that he would come to fetch her after he had been appointed to public office, and Ch’un-hyang believes this and is staying faithful to him.” (p.290)Official VS Courtesan • The governor was very angry: “You fool! What sort of gentleman would he be if, while he was still living under his father’s care, and before he was married, he took a concubine from a kisaeng family? If you say such a thing again I will have you punished. Do you think you will put me off by talking like that? Stop prevaricating and fetch her.” (p.290)Class and Virtue • The treasurer spoke to her then: “Look here, now; that lad is fickle. Life is no more than a mayfly, and men are all the same. Why should you take so much trouble? His Excellency propose to lift you up in the world. What do you singing girls know about faithfulness and chastity? The old governor has gone and the new governor has arrived: it’s proper for you to obey him. Stop talking strangely. What have loyalty and faithfulness to do with people of your sort.” (p.292) • Ch’un-hyang: “A woman’s virtue is the same for high ranks and low.” • Argument for the universality of inherent Confucian virtues in everyone/ Sprouts of virtue. • Similar to the Buddhist belief that all people inherently possess a “Buddha Nature” that needs to be cultivated. • A radical or a conservative solution to Ch’un-hyang’s dilemma?Ch’un-hyang’s ordeal 3 • The beating: she becomes a heroine through suffering -- the interplay between virtue and suffering • What is the appeal of a scene of a beautiful woman tormented? • The beating described by a counting songCh’un-hyang’s ordealBeating by the Numbers: The Nation and the Body • The governor is father of the people, • But he ignores the four social classes; • He rules by force and power • And has no love for the people • In the forty-eight quarters of Namwon. • Though my four limbs are severed, • Alike in life and death • I’ll never forget young master Yi, • My husband. (p.293) • Use of word play, repetition of the number “four,” display of the story-teller’s skill • Analogy between the “forty-eight quarters of Namwon” and the “four limbs” of Ch’un-hyang. • The sympathy of the townsfolk and Ch’un-hyang, their solidarity.Yi Mong-nyong’s return 1 • He takes first place in the exam • The royal inspector’s job is to travel in disguise and discover wrongdoing by local officials • But by dressing as a beggar, at the same time he tests Ch’unhyang and her mother • Why does he test her? Hasn’t she done enough?Yi Mong-nyong’s returnYi Mong-nyong’s return 2 • Taking the pulse of the people: • A youth chants a poem: • “But, more’s the pity, poor Ch’un-hyang, • Always thinking of young Master Yi, • Shut up in prison, • Hovering on the point of death, • Never gets a word of news • From that wicked gentleman. • There’s the gentry for you!” • The “Great Preface” to the Book of Songs expresses the view that poetry, especially folk poetry (feng), can reflect historical circumstances and express the feelings of the people.Yi Mong-nyong’s return 3 • Testing Wol-mae and Ch’un-hyang: • “When a gentleman’s fortunes change, the results are beyond description. I went up to Seoul, but lost all hope of advancement. The family fortune vanished, my father is teaching in a little school and my mother has gone back to her parents. We are all scattered, so I came to see Ch’un-hyang in the hope of getting a little money, but it looks as though both our families are ruined.” (p.304)Happy endings 1 • Yi Mong-nyong Springs the Trap on the New Governor: • -Attends a lavish banquet held in honor of the New Governor’s birthday • -He is served unappetizing food on a rickety table • -Writes a poem about “the people’s feelings and the governor’s style of administration” • -Identity revealed as the royal inspector • -“See what the Ch’ongp’a post men do: lifting high the round brass warrant, shining like a golden sun, they shouted: The royal inspector comes!” • -The new governor’s administration is suspended and Ch’un-hyang is releasedHappy endings 2 • The villain was a corrupt official, but justice is restored by a virtuous official • Lovers are reunited • Ch’un-hyang is an official’s wife (not just his concubine) • Ch’un-hyang, Wol-mae, and Hyang-dan all travel to Seoul in a splendid cavalcade. • Does Ch’un-hyang’s story challenge the values of her society? Or confirm them?Happy endingsConclusions: • Across East Asia during the 17th to 19th centuries, we see a flourishing of vernacular fiction and performance arts. Even elites who usually compose in classical Chinese get involved in these popular cultural forms. • Strong populist elements in both Tale of Hong Kiltong and Song of Ch’un-hyang (class and gender), though neither question the imperial social order as a whole. • The