Abstract
It is quite awkward in shaman epic for the would-be shaman hero to tried to pass ‘the Gwageo’, the Confucian highest level state examination in Joseon Dynasty to recruit ranking officials. In this text, passing Gwageo is sa good as being a master of archery in Korean myths and folktales. The three brothers in Chogong Bonpoori needed the both in order to get social approval and change of their presence.
Gwageo examination is effective in overlapping two narrative functions in this epic. It is a double helix structure of Lady Nogadanpoong and Samengdoo, her three sons. The story of the Lady bear relation to the ‘corn spirit belief’, and is also a typical example of the ‘female ordeal’ connected to Yuhwa of Joomong myth. The story of Sammengdoo show the heroic life and activity as the hero, a descendent of Joomong. The death of the Lady is the acme of the ‘female ordeal’, and the resurrection from the dead is the peak of the heroic activity of the Three Brothers. Gwageo is used as a literary device by which Sammengdoo could get social approval and we could hold the story of the death and revival of the Lady.
Undergoing the process of the Gwageo examination, they learn the violence by Samchonseonbi and the absurdity of the secular world. They need to the religious transcendence. Gwageo becomes a chance to question about the way how the transcendental world has anything to do with the secular world.
In narrative structure, Gwageo is an important motif of the switch from happiness to unhappiness. The progressive repeat of happiness and unhappiness gives the audience the appeal of the narrative form. The shamans and the audience must have been shared the pleasure feeling of the precise match of the content and form.
Gwageo examination is effective in overlapping two narrative functions in this epic. It is a double helix structure of Lady Nogadanpoong and Samengdoo, her three sons. The story of the Lady bear relation to the ‘corn spirit belief’, and is also a typical example of the ‘female ordeal’ connected to Yuhwa of Joomong myth. The story of Sammengdoo show the heroic life and activity as the hero, a descendent of Joomong. The death of the Lady is the acme of the ‘female ordeal’, and the resurrection from the dead is the peak of the heroic activity of the Three Brothers. Gwageo is used as a literary device by which Sammengdoo could get social approval and we could hold the story of the death and revival of the Lady.
Undergoing the process of the Gwageo examination, they learn the violence by Samchonseonbi and the absurdity of the secular world. They need to the religious transcendence. Gwageo becomes a chance to question about the way how the transcendental world has anything to do with the secular world.
In narrative structure, Gwageo is an important motif of the switch from happiness to unhappiness. The progressive repeat of happiness and unhappiness gives the audience the appeal of the narrative form. The shamans and the audience must have been shared the pleasure feeling of the precise match of the content and form.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Meaning of “The State Examination” in Chogong Bonpoori, a Shaman Epic in Jeju Island |
|---|---|
| Original language | Korean |
| Pages (from-to) | 77-104 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | 구비문학연구 |
| Issue number | 33 |
| State | Published - Dec 2011 |