Abstrakt
This article deals with the most frequent character types depicting models of womanhood in medieval Korean literature. However, Korean literature does not offer only didactic characters, even though they were preferred and are prevalent as a result.
In literati genres intended for entertainment, especially p'aesŏl and yadam literature, the spectrum of characters is broader. We document this fact in an analysis of the Ch'ŏnyerok, an anthology of stories written by Im Pang in the early eighteenth century.
In it women are surprisingly dominant; their activities even compensate for their male counterparts' passivity and incompetence. Nevertheless, these narratives accept the established Confucian models for their protagonists.
Therefore, we also aim to discuss the most popular female character types contained in the stories of the Ch'ŏnyerok in the context of kodae sosŏl and p'ansori tales that came later. Some present caricatures of the era, whereas others present everlasting ideals.
Two stories about women demonstrate absolute female dominance; traditional gender roles are reversed and the female characters mock male vanity.