Abstract
This publication is an annotated translation of two classical Korean novels supplemented with a study.
The Tale of Sim Ch'ǒng and Unyǒng can be characterized as stories about devotion and unfulfilled love.
The Tale of Sim Ch'ǒng is one of the most famous classical novels in Korea. The theme of the story is devotion and love between father and daughter. Sim Ch'ǒng suffers all the hardships, she even decides to sacrifice her life for her father. Also, the blind father tries to save his daughter, but after he is left alone, he suffers only misery. In the end, however, everything comes to a happy ending, so typical for Koreans.
On the contrary, the Tale of Unyǒng is a story of tragic love that overcomes social barriers and even death. The whole novel is interwoven with the tragedy and despair of the main and supporting characters, who live in a world full of pitfalls and where they fail to fulfil even the slightest wish. Unyǒng and her lover resemble Romeo and Julia, but their love can overcome everything.