[KS] Kisaeng

[Young-Key Kim-Renaud]

Hello,
 
Here are some more works that might provide an insight into the lives of kisaeng:
 
Hahn Moo-Sook. 1983. “The Hermitage of Flowing Water,” English translation of the Korean original “Yusuam,” in The Korean Literary Translation Association, ed., The Hemitage of Flowing Water and Nine Others. Baltimore: Gateway Press. pp. 7-53. 
 
McCarthy, Kathleen. 1991. Kisaeng in the Koryô Period. Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University.
 
McCarthy, Kathleen. 1994. "Kisaeng and Poetry in the Koryô Period." Korean Culture
15:2 (Summer 1994). pp. 4-13.
 
O’Rourke, Kevin. 2004. “Demythologizing Hwang Chini,” in Young-Key Kim-Renaud, ed., Creative Women of Korea. Armonk, NY and London, England: M.E. Sharpe. pp. 96-121.

A fiction on Hwang Chini by Hahn Moo-Sook shows indeed how Confucian morality was prevalent even at the lower social classes or at least used by some in mythologizing the famous kisaeng, but unfortunately for your student, the English translation of the work has not yet been published:
 
Hahn Moo-Sook. 1978. “Yi Sajong ûi anae” (The Wife of Yi Sajong), contained in the Collected Short Stories of Hahn Moo-Sook: Uri sai modûn gôsi (Everything Between Us), Munhak sasang sa, Seoul, pp 71-95.
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jennifer Jung-Kim <jenniferjungkim at gmail.com> 
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 12:47 pm 
Subject: Re: [KS] Kisaeng 
To: Korean Studies Discussion List <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws> 

> Hi, 
> 
> There are some good books in Korean, but in terms of English-language 
> sources, I can only think of: 
> 
> "Chang Sa-hun, "Women Entertainers of the Yi Dynasty," in _Women of 
> the Yi Dynasty_ (Seoul: Research Center for Asian Women, Sookmyung 
> Women's University, 1986) pp 251-265 
> 
> and parts of 
> 
> Kim, Yung-Chung, ed, _Women of Korea: A History from Ancient Times to 
> 1945_ (Seoul: Ewha Womans University, 1976). 
> 
> I suppose any of the _Ch'unhyang_ films might provide some insight 
> into kisaeng social status, as well as how Confucian morality was 
> prevalent even at the lower social classes. But I wouldn't say the 
> films are really about kisaeng. There are also some kisaeng 
> characters in some translated literary works, but I can't think of any 
> that are really about kisaeng. 
> 
> I have a section in my dissertation that deals with kisaeng (their 
> history, status during the colonial period, and social and labor 
> activism), but none of it has been published yet. 
> 
> I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help -- I hope some of the literature 
> specialists can think of other sources that may help. 
> 
> Jennifer Jung-Kim 
> 
> 
> On 1/16/06, Pete Morriss <pete.morriss at nuigalway.ie> wrote: 
> > 
> > Dear All, 
> > Intrigued by all the publicity about the filming of 
> Memoirs of a Geisha, one of my students asked me if she could find 
> out more about the Korean equivalent. That's outside my main 
> field, so I immediately thought of this list. Does anybody know 
> of anything - fiction, non-fiction, film, or whatever - that might 
> give an insight into the lives of kisaeng? Unfortunately, only 
> English-language sources would be of any use in this case. 
> > Many thanks, 
> > Pete Morriss  
> > 
> > Pete Morriss (Dr.) 
> > Department of Political Science and Sociology, 
> > National University of Ireland, Galway 
> > Ireland 
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