(Un)visualizing Korea in the World: The Issue of the Translator in the Collection of Modern Korean Fairy Tales and the Politics of the World Fairy Tale Series

• Published in: Korea journal Vol. 64; no. 3; pp. 126 - 157
• Main Author: Yun-jeong JO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Academy of Korean Studies 01-09-2024; 한국학중앙연구원
• Subjects: 한국어와문학; Jeong Ja-pyeong; Shao Linsheng; Shanghai; Collection of Modern Korean Fairy Tales; translation; Inseong School; illustration; World Fairy Tale Series
• ISSN: 0023-3900; 2733-9343
• DOI: 10.25024/kj.2024.64.3.126

This study aims to identify the Korean translator of the Collection of Modern Korean Fairy Tales (Chaoxian xiandai tonghuaji 朝鮮現代童話集), published in Shanghai, China in 1936. It examines the significance of the collection’s translation in the context of its relationship with teachers at Inseong School and the publication of the World Fairy Tale Series. Drawing on the prefaces of two fairy tale collections translated by Shao Linsheng and newspaper articles, this study concludes that the Collection of Modern Korean Fairy Tales was translated by the Chinese Shao Linsheng and the Korean Jeong Ja-pyeong, the latter a member of the Young Korean Academy (Heungsadan). The composition of the World Fairy Tale Series by Zhonghua shuju 中華書局, and the Chinese-style illustrations of the Collection of Modern Korean Fairy Tales, indicate the potential for cultural transformation, in which Chinese readers living in a colonial context could domesticate Korean fairy tales. Western stories, mistakenly identified as Korean fairy tales, depict the protagonist overcoming crises and seeking freedom. With these stories, the translator wanted to introduce young readers to the ideals of anti-imperialism and liberation. Thus, the Collection of Modern Korean Fairy Tales indicates that Chinese readers harbored political expectations and a desire for appropriating colonial Korea. KCI Citation Count: 0