Forms of Attachment: Writing Love in Korean Literature

This course looks at literature to explore how intimacy, passion and commitment have been socially sanctioned and redefined in Korea. From Yi Dynasty tales to modern-day webtoons, we will explore the roles different genres have played in the generation of forms of human affect that are themselves intimately tied to Korea's tumultuous history. What does it mean to love, and to write about love, under the conditions of Neo-Confucianism, empire, war, national division, authoritarianism, and the neoliberal marketplace? No prerequisites.