[KS] Re: 'Memoir' defames Korean culture

Fri Sep 8 14:25:35 EDT 2000

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At 12:54 =BF=C0=C8=C4 00-09-06 -0500, Henry Em wrote:

 >Has anyone read Elizabeth Kim's _Ten Thousand
 >Sorrows_?
 >

yes. it's a quick read (an hour or so, just like a dime store paperback)
and the writing is rather shallow. not exactly a work of literature. it's
being hyped and received largely on its sensationalist and melodramatic
story line and claims about korean culture. the ads for the book all hype
the alleged "honor killing." kim claims in her book that in the newsroom
where she works (she's a journalist for small town papers in california)
reports of honor killings in korea, china, israel, etc., regularly come in
over the wires, and that these are sanctioned by traditional korean mores
and are an accepted part of korean culture.

she has said that her early memories were recovered and made sensible
through extensive therapy, that before then she had only fragments and
didn't really understand her memories.

fyi, the issue of honor killings is a recent cause celebre among western
feminists, similar but not yet as widely publicized as the issue of genital
mutilations. but no one, other than elizabeth kim, has accused korea of
being an honor killing culture. so far, these accusations have been aimed
at islamic countries. (and i'm in no position to ascertain whether or not
such accusations have merit.)

what's interesting is that the book is being read widely among people who
adopt korean children, and their focus, judging from the traffic that i've=
=20
seen on their
email lists, is primarily on "look what a terrible country we rescued our
children from." which is interesting given that a good third or more of the
book focuses on traumas and abuses inflicted on her by her white american
adoptive parents. but these parents are depicted as sad, pathetic
individuals with their own sad histories to explain their terrible
behavior, and are depicted as aberrant in an otherwise beneficent america
that provides her with the means to become a writing subject, while her
life in korea and her traumas there are depicted as having nothing to do
with individual depravity or mistakes and everything to do with societal
depravity.

and i must say that i agree with brian myers about the inaccuracies and
problems in the book. myers has officially complained to the publisher and
they are supposedly looking into the matter with their own external korean
studies expert. myers apparently has a degree in korean studies from
harvard. does anyone know anything about him?

regarding the terms honhyol, honhyolah, and honhyolin, yes, they are cold
and clinical, but they are not used or seen as derogatory terms. and they
most certainly would not have been in casual circulation in korean rural
farming villages of the 1950s, the alleged setting for elizabeth kim's
korean infancy and early childhood. in addition to their origins with=20
japanese kanji terms, these terms are highly similar to the english terms=20
"mixed blood" and "mixed race." after all, europeans and
americans also have a long history of fixation on "pure" bloodlines and a
horror of getting them tainted by inferior blood, whether that blood is
deemed inferior due to class or race.

best,
ji-yeon

_____________________________________________________________
Yuh Ji-Yeon                     History Department, Northwestern University
j-yuh at northwestern.edu  Harris 202, 1881 Sheridan Road
1-847-467-6538          Evanston, IL 60208  U.S.A.

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<html>
<font size=3D3>At 12:54 =BF=C0=C8=C4 00-09-06 -0500, Henry Em wrote:<br>
<br>
>Has anyone read Elizabeth Kim's _Ten Thousand<br>
>Sorrows_?<br>
><br>
<br>
yes. it's a quick read (an hour or so, just like a dime store paperback)
<br>
and the writing is rather shallow. not exactly a work of literature. it's
<br>
being hyped and received largely on its sensationalist and melodramatic
<br>
story line and claims about korean culture. the ads for the book all hype
<br>
the alleged "honor killing." kim claims in her book that in the
newsroom <br>
where she works (she's a journalist for small town papers in california)
<br>
reports of honor killings in korea, china, israel, etc., regularly come
in <br>
over the wires, and that these are sanctioned by traditional korean mores
<br>
and are an accepted part of korean culture.<br>
<br>
she has said that her early memories were recovered and made sensible
<br>
through extensive therapy, that before then she had only fragments and
<br>
didn't really understand her memories.<br>
<br>
fyi, the issue of honor killings is a recent cause celebre among western
<br>
feminists, similar but not yet as widely publicized as the issue of
genital <br>
mutilations. but no one, other than elizabeth kim, has accused korea of
<br>
being an honor killing culture. so far, these accusations have been aimed
<br>
at islamic countries. (and i'm in no position to ascertain whether or not
<br>
such accusations have merit.)<br>
<br>
<br>
what's interesting is that the book is being read widely among people who
<br>
adopt korean children, and their focus, judging from the traffic that
i've seen on their <br>
email lists, is primarily on "look what a terrible country we
rescued our <br>
children from." which is interesting given that a good third or more
of the <br>
book focuses on traumas and abuses inflicted on her by her white american
<br>
adoptive parents. but these parents are depicted as sad, pathetic <br>
individuals with their own sad histories to explain their terrible <br>
behavior, and are depicted as aberrant in an otherwise beneficent america
<br>
that provides her with the means to become a writing subject, while her
<br>
life in korea and her traumas there are depicted as having nothing to do
<br>
with individual depravity or mistakes and everything to do with societal
<br>
depravity.<br>
<br>
and i must say that i agree with brian myers about the inaccuracies and
<br>
problems in the book. myers has officially complained to the publisher
and <br>
they are supposedly looking into the matter with their own external
korean <br>
studies expert. myers apparently has a degree in korean studies from
<br>
harvard. does anyone know anything about him?<br>
<br>
regarding the terms honhyol, honhyolah, and honhyolin, yes, they are cold
<br>
and clinical, but they are not used or seen as derogatory terms. and they
<br>
most certainly would not have been in casual circulation in korean rural
<br>
farming villages of the 1950s, the alleged setting for elizabeth kim's
<br>
korean infancy and early childhood. in addition to their origins with
japanese kanji terms, these terms are highly similar to the english terms
"mixed blood" and "mixed race." after all, europeans
and <br>
americans also have a long history of fixation on "pure"
bloodlines and a <br>
horror of getting them tainted by inferior blood, whether that blood is
<br>
deemed inferior due to class or race.<br>
<br>
best,<br>
ji-yeon<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</font><br>
<div>_____________________________________________________________</div>
<div>Yuh
Ji-Yeon<x-tab>     </x-tab><x-tab>  &nbsp=
;     </x-tab><x-tab>     =
   </x-tab>History
Department, Northwestern University</div>
<div>j-yuh at northwestern.edu<x-tab>  </x-tab>Harris 202, 1881
Sheridan Road</div>
<div>1-847-467-6538<x-tab>  </x-tab><x-tab>   &nbsp=
;    </x-tab>Evanston,
IL 60208  U.S.A.</div>
<br>
</html>

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