Sources of Humor in Korean Literature

SOURCES OF HUMOR IN KOREAN LITERATURE --------------------by David P. Mesler Humor is that quality which appeals to the sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous. Its purposes are generally for light-hearted amusement . It seems that a person requires at least four things if he is to produce humor : 1.A character or bent inclined to the ludicrous. 2.A mood inclined to the ludicrous. 3.A willingness to indulge himself and let his hair down. 4.A relationship of acceptance with an audience. These first two elements have to do with the inner personality of the individual . The last two have to do with his socialization. All four of these characteristics—character, mood, self-indulgence, acceptance—seem to be abundant in Korea's oral literary traditions. Proverbs, folk tales, folk drama, jokes and anecdotes show a strain that is very light-hearted, gay and laughter-loving. This strain is reflective of what seems to be a native cultural characteristic. But Korea is also conspicuous for its traditional puritanism and exceedingly serious approach to life. The entire Chu Hsi-ist system lent itself to 123 124/Mesler restricting behavior. Scholarship was the highest pursuit and the purpose of literacy was to learn how to act in one's daily life. Propriety was strictly defined, requiring a formality and stiffness which made laughter difficult. Children were taught not to show emotion, not to laugh, not to engage in light-hearted behavior in the presence of their elders, not to show their teeth and 1001 other minutiae which tended to mold rather serious stances. Kim Sakkat (1807-1863), a wandering satirical poet, caricatured the product as, follows : Yangban's kid— With long-stemmed pipe And oversized hat— Shouting out the Mencius From a book Newly bought. Grandson to a monkey From the womb Newly dropped. Sons of frogs Belting out confusion In the dusk, in the pond.1 Korean written literature is essentially the creation ofthat segment of society most intensely subjected to this restrictive training. The 20th century and especially the han'gül generation in Korea have rejected Confucianism, substituting the hated word 'feudalism' freely in itsplace . But still the old Confucian attitudes which bear on humor and the public display of emotion run deep. The Confucian predilection for teaching something serious through literature remains. Psychologically, it seems there remains also a fear of the stigma of being a mere entertainer. The appropriateness of humor seems to revolve around the question of private acts vs. public acts. There has always been much latitude given to private behavior within closed groups, even those which have the most dignified public faces. The following conversation from the end of the Koryö Dynasty gives a peak into the inner life of the scholar: Chöng Sam-bong, Yi To-un, and Kwön Yang-ch'on (three scholars píofound in their study of the nature of man- and his environment) were sitting around discussing what it was that they enjoyed most in life. 1. Kimnip Sijip, Taemunsa, Seoul, 1958, pp. 48-49. Sources of Humor/125 Sam-bong said: "Riding over the fields, my horse brightly decorated, my coattails flying in the first snow of winter, hard on the chase—that's my idea of heaven. To-un said: "A quiet little house nestled in the mountains, sunlight filtering through the window, tea boiling in the pot, no pressure to write, chatting with a monk, hard on the pursuit of enlightenment—that's my idea of heaven. Yang-ch'on said:"To curl up with a book on the ondol floor close to the fire, sunlight streaming in the window and snow filling: the garden outside, the delicate hand of a beautiful woman momentarily leaving her embroidering to take a roasted chestnut and place it in my mouth—hard on the pursuit of leisure—That's my idea of heaven!" Sam-bong and To-un roared with laughter. "What you follow hard on," they said, "is enough to raise our 'hard on' all over again!"2 Koreans seem to show a willingness to indulge in humor in private talk, and those who do become heroes of the gathering. Public behavior, however,, for centuries...