Characteristics of Female Figures and Memories of Women in Korean Narrative Songs

Abstract

This article examines how Korean narrative songs have, since the Middle Ages, formed and transmitted the memories and figures of women. These narrative songs have been created and handed down as labour songs mainly by lower-class women, reconstructing women’s specific experiences and memories. Korean narrative songs in traditional society are mostly concerned with the life of a woman in a male-centred, patriarchal society. The female figures expressed in these songs show how Korean women recognize their social reality. The figuration of women in Korean narrative songs can be categorized into 4 branches according to whether or not adversity is resolved to meet personal or social expectations. The A type (Personal expectations +, social expectations +) and the B type (Personal expectations +, social expectations –) are very rare in narrative folk songs. In the C type (Personal expectations –, social expectations +), the female figure lives according to social expectations or commits suicide. Most Korean narrative songs belong in the D type (Personal expectations —, social expectations –). When her personal expectations conflict with social expectations, the female figure commits suicide or becomes a monk. These female figures continue to reappear in women’s memories and are embodied in narrative songs. This shows the tragedy of women’s lived experiences and their perception of reality in Korean traditional society. The narrative songs were suitable for women’s work because they were lengthy and replaced expectation and frustration with the sequence of events. Women poured out their sorrows by singing narrative songs, allowing them to forget the suffering of hard work. Narrative folk songs still have many implications in Korean society because the status and reality of women still does not match that of the democratic, equal society we believe we have achieved. However, it cannot be denied that narrative songs contributed to the movement towards gender equality in Korean society

Keywords

• narrative song
• women
• gender
• class
• korea