Original Works

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Printed/Published Work Korean(한국어)

조선백자마리아상

About the Original Works

조선백자마리아상
Original Title
조선백자마리아상
Title Romanization
Joseonbaekjamariasang
English Title(Printed)
The Image of the Virgin Mary in Chosun White Porcelain
Classification

KDC구분 > literature > Korean Literature > Korean Fiction > 20th century > 1945-1999

Author
Suh Ki-Won
Co-Author
-
Published Year
-
Publisher
-
ISBN
-
Main Characters
Kim Sinbong, Yi Kahwan, Jeong Yak-yong, Eundol, Deokhwan, Deokhwan’s wife
Subject/Theme
Catholicism; martyrdom; apostasy

About the Author

Writer default image
  • Suh Ki-Won
  • Birth : 1930 ~ 2005
  • Occupation : Novelist
  • First Name : Ki-Won
  • Family Name : Suh
  • Korean Name : 서기원
  • ISNI : 000000008382067X
  • Works : 10
Plot

During a visit to the home of Magistrate Jeong, Kim Sinbong, a potter and porcelain artist, encounters Jeong Yakyong, the young master of the household. With spiritual guidance from Eundol, Yakyong’s servant, Sinbong converts to Catholicism. However, after coming into conflict with his shaman mother-in-law, and in order to save his wife and children from the persecution of Catholics, he eventually renounces his faith. Later, having regained his religious fervor, he resolves to become a martyr and turns himself in, but the authorities release him when they find his name on the list of apostates. When he protests, the officer snatches and hurls away Sinbong’s white porcelain statue of the Virgin Mary, shattering it.

Descriptions(Languages 2)
  • Korean(한국어)
  • English(English)

1979년에 출간된 서기원의 장편소설이다. 조선 초기 천주교 전래시의 박해 문제를 다루며 정치권력과 종교에 관한 예리한 관찰을 보여준다. 날카로운 문체와 지적 통찰력으로 한국 전통 사회의 근대화 혁명의 실패와 그로 인한 반근대적 현실을 지적했다고 평가된다.

Published in 1979, The Image of the Virgin Mary in Chosun White Porcelain is a novel by Suh Ki-Won. A work of historical fiction, the book deals with the religious persecution of Catholics during the early Joseon period. Displaying keen observation of religion and political power, and with a sharp prose style and intellectual insight, the novel depicts how the failure of traditional Korean society to modernize during the Joseon dynasty brought about anti-modern realities.

Translated Books1