• Journal of Korean Classical Literature and Education
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• no.34
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• pp.223-257
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• 2017

For a long time, it has been claimed that there is no tradition of tragedy in Asian Literature. This is because researchers have regarded Ancient Greek tragedy, which is an imitation of an action and has dramatic structure, as the only parameter of tragedy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the features of Korean tragedy in order to revise the parameters of tragedy. In chapter 2, by examining the generic features of 'drama' and 'lyric poetry', we obtained following hypothesis consisting of two elements: First, we can classify as lyric poetry that which has the dramatic device of the separation between the suffering character and the observer as a tragedy. Second, since in lyric poetry the character observed by the poetic self is eventually the alter ego of the poetic self, the observer in lyric poetry can only have pity towards the character. In Chapter 3, we examine lyric songs created from the third to fourth century B.C. to more modern lyric poetry to analyze the features of Korean lyric tragedy. They all depict a state of deadlock where the poetic self cannot move forward, and they are all structured in a similar way. In this common structure, the poetic self plays two roles: a character who is deadlocked and an observer who feels pity toward the character. By examining these features of Korean lyric tragedy, we suggest a new parameter of tragedy. Korean lyric tragedy can also provide a new perspective on modern tragedy that conflicts with traditional theories of tragedy.