Korean literature

For over 1,500 years, people in Korea have shared their world through writing and song. Most of these works were written in the Korean language or in Classical Chinese. This long history is often split into classical and modern periods.

Much of the early writing used Hanja, which are characters from Chinese. People used these characters to express Korean ideas in many different ways. This body of work includes everything from short poems to long stories. It is a way for people to pass down their values and history.

Poetry in Korea often started as music meant to be sung. One of the first unique forms was called hyangga. These were native songs from the Silla period. To write them, people used a system called idu. This system used Hanja characters for their sounds instead of just their meanings.

Many hyangga were written by Buddhist monks. They often focused on themes like faith or mourning the death of loved ones. One famous poem is Jemangmae-ga, a song written by a monk to mourn his sister.

As time moved into the Goryeo period, new styles like Goryeo gayo became popular. These songs were often passed down by speaking rather than writing. They frequently featured a refrain, which is a repeated part that sets a mood.

Women entertainers known as kisaeng often sang these poems to musical instruments. The songs often used powerful words to talk about the joys and pains of love. Later, during the Joseon period, the sijo became a very common poetic form. Sijo has a specific structure of three stanzas. It was popular with common people and often reflected ideas about loyalty.

Stories and prose also helped shape Korean culture. Historical records like the Samguk sagi and Samguk yusa kept important tales alive.

These books contain myths about the sun and the moon. They also hold folktales about clever animals, ogres, and even goblins. Many fiction stories were written to teach people how to behave well. Most of these stories ended with a happy conclusion. Some writers, like Kim Sisŭp, wrote famous fiction in Chinese. Over time, more stories were written about the lives of everyday people.

Oral traditions kept stories alive through speaking and performing. People shared legends about the universe and the gods. They also performed mask plays in many different provinces. In these plays, actors could use humor and make things up as they went along.

The audience did not just sit quietly; they often shouted back at the actors. Some of these traditions, like pansori story-singing, became very famous. Even today, some performers are named national treasures for keeping these traditions going. Through all these different ways, the spirit of Korea continues to be shared.