Literary negotiations with western science in post-confucian korea

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Abstract

Korean literature found a source of knowledge and inspiration for its advancement toward modernity in the theories and discoveries of Western science. Darwin’s theory of evolution was among the most influential examples of that scientific thinking in early-twentieth-century Korea. Major writers such as Pak Unsik, Pyon Yongman, Yi Kwangsu, and Yom Sangsop paved the way for the formation of modern Korean literature as they negotiated with the theories of Darwin and his followers while calling Confucian orthodoxy into question. Pro- and anti-Darwinist positions found passing but remarkable expressions in a wide-ranging intellectual spectrum between neo-Confucianism and anarchism and forecasted the opposition of science and poetry that would come to dominate Korean literature with the ascendancy of Marxist materialism.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRoutledge Handbook of Modern Korean Literature
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages171-187
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9781317224143
ISBN (Print)9781138655041
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2020

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