海角大神

Despite being 鈥渢he best-selling fictional narrative during the late Chos艔n period鈥� (1392-1910) of pre-modern Korea, little is known about the provenance of The Tale of Cho Ung. The author remains unknown and its initial composition has been narrowed down to a 200-plus-year-window, with a guesstimate falling somewhere between the late-18th听to early 19th听centuries. Its efficacy as immersive fiction, however, has historical documentation: originally popularized by professional storytellers reciting in public spaces, the heroic escapades of the eponymous Cho Ung 鈥� filial son, loyal advisor, honorable leader, unparalleled warrior 鈥� could be so intense as to incite an enthralled listener to attack the storyteller amidst an especially fierce scene.

Today, some 450 copies in multiple editions 鈥� manuscripts, woodblock prints, moveable-type commercial publication 鈥� survive. Gathering, analyzing, comparing, compiling, cross-referencing the many different editions, Sookja Cho, assistant professor of Korean and comparative literature at Arizona State University, worked through varying lengths and plot deviations to discover that 鈥渢he overall narrative remain[ed] the same.鈥� From that exhaustive compilation, Cho offers the first-ever English translation of the pre-modern classic with dual intentions: to 鈥渁dd to the understanding of this popular Korean tale among English-speaking readers and inspire scholars to build upon my work.鈥� And yes, she assuredly succeeds in achieving both objectives.

For the curious Anglophone reader of world literature, 鈥淐ho Ung鈥� is a dramatic adventure filled with royal intrigue, swashbuckling wars, filial duties, multigenerational revenge 鈥� and, of course, a swooning love story. Set in the mid-fifth century during China鈥檚 Liu Song Dynasty (420-479 CE) 鈥� 鈥渢he use of a Chinese historical time and space was not unusual in late Chos艔n literature,鈥� Cho explains 鈥� the tale opens during a 鈥渢ime of peace鈥� in Emperor Mun鈥檚 court. The widespread tranquility is the direct result of the late Minister Cho Ch艔ngin who 鈥渟aved the royal court from collapse,鈥� earning him the distinction of being the Emperor鈥檚 鈥渕ost loyal subject.鈥� Slandered by jealous rival Minister Yi Tuby艔ng, Minister Cho chooses honorable suicide rather than be part of Yi鈥檚 evil schemes; he dies before meeting his son, Cho Ung, who was then seven months in utero. The child鈥檚 given name, 鈥淯ng,鈥� meaning 鈥渉ero,鈥� proves prophetic.

By age 7, Ung鈥檚 鈥渆xtraordinary鈥� nature is already so renowned as to have him summoned to Emperor Mun鈥檚 court 鈥渢o discuss state affairs.鈥� Precocious Ung politely declines the Emperor鈥檚 overgenerous appointment, but returns home to his widowed mother with the promise of a government post at 13. His court appearance, of course, doesn鈥檛 go unnoticed by envious Minister Yi who, despite his own powerful status and that of his five sons, is determined to kill Ung before the boy can avenge his father鈥檚 wrongful death.

By the next year, the Emperor, too, is dead, and Minister Yi usurps the throne from the 8-year-old crown prince. His public threats against Ung intensify, sending the hero and his mother on a difficult escape journey 鈥� which only fuels Ung鈥檚 maturing ambitions to restore justice. In between training and travels, battles and body counts, Ung falls for the faithful maiden, ensures his mother鈥檚 well-being, defeats his enemies, rescues the crown prince, rebuilds the empire, and gets his just rewards.

To ensure a smooth, narrative experience, Cho makes reading the 138-page adventure straight through easily doable, clearly separating the story from additional information, keeping even footnotes relegated off the page until after the final line. Readers might close the book fully satisfied with a glimpse of vernacular fiction from another time, a faraway culture while digesting a bit of sociopolitical history. But beyond simply enjoying literature-in-translation, Cho鈥檚 contextual enhancements (totaling an additional almost-100 pages) are emphatically laudable as well as rewardingly readable. Her comprehensive introduction provides a treasure trove of exacting details about versions of the classic tale, a parsing of its factual and imagined elements, astute character studies, textual insights 鈥� undoubtedly illuminating for the casual reader, surely motivating for the academic scholar. So, too, are her edifying endnotes and references essential sources of relevant information.

鈥淭he long-standing success of the tale,鈥� Cho asserts, 鈥渋s rooted in its role as an act of tikkun olam (repair the world) that fulfills people鈥檚 needs both for a champion and for an escape from everyday life.鈥� For many potential readers, her timing couldn鈥檛 be more resonantly apt. "'The Tale of Cho Ung'听allows premodern and modern audiences alike to travel through a world of wonders and symbolically defeat that which has caused their disillusionment.鈥� Don鈥檛 we all need a valiant hero鈥檚 victory now more than ever?

Terry Hong writes , a book blog for the .