A Comparative Study on the Stories of China’s 「Duawon」, 「Geumswaegi」, and Korea’s 「Jeonghyobujeon」: Focusing on the Epic Variations of 「Ugongg and Donghaehyobu」 History

Abstract

This study aims to examine the narratives and themes that appear in Korean-Chinese works 「Duawon」, 「Geumswaegi」, and 「Jeonghyojeon」, which accepted the history of 「Ugongg and donghaehyobu」. To this end, the meaning of 「Wukong and Donghae Hyobu」 in 『Hanso』 and 『Susingi』 was found, and 「Duawon」 and 「Geumswaegi」 accepted both stories, but 「Jeonghyobujeon」 was based only on the history contained in 『Hanso』. Looking at the theme aspect, 「Duawon」 critically represents the problem of women who were killed unfairly due to absurd reality, while 「Geumswaegi」 emphasizes women’s sense of filial piety instead of weakening real-world conflicts through the heavenly and the royal world. In 「Jeonghyojeon」, Mrs. Jeong, who sacrificed her life for ‘filial piety-fidelity’, travels to a more diverse fantasy world than 「Geumswaegi」, not only returning to reality with her husband as a reward, but also reviving the family. The theme of “unfairness of trial and women’s resentment” from the story of 「Ugongg and donghaehyobu」 has been transformed into a work that emphasizes women’s sense of filial piety despite being individual works created in different time and space. Behind it, it can be seen that the conservative response method to overcome the confusion at the end of the dynasty by strengthening the Confucian sense of value worked in literary works. 「Geumswaegi」 and 「Jeonghyojeon」 can find meaning in terms of showing the direction of literary adaptation reflecting this consciousness.