mitoXD on DeviantArthttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/https://www.deviantart.com/mitoxd/art/hgd-plot-422897617mitoXD

Deviation Actions

mitoXD's avatar

hgd-plot

By
Published:
1.2K Views

Description


Contents

  1. Specs

  2. What’s this all about …
    1. Hong Gil-dong revisited
    2. Spoiling for revolution and education

  3. Links and References
    1. Document related
    2. Further information about Hong Gil-dong and the Hong Gil-dong Jeon
    3. Heo Gyun and Heo Chohui
    4. Hangul and the Hunminjeongeum





1.  Specs

  • LaTeX distribution: TeXLive
  • extension: HLaTeX
  • documentclass: article
  • packages: hangul, pst-plot, pst-text, pst-grad
  • fonts: Gothic/(uhc)gt (Type1)
  • charset encoding: UTF-8/EUC-KR w/ lambda
  • compilation scheme: lambda/latex && dvips && ps2pdf

          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



2.  What’s this all about …


TeXnically, this project uses the title of the famous Joseon “Tale of Hong Gil-dong” (홍길동전 洪吉童傳) for a Hangul outline gimmick. – A small sized German introduction to HGD is set around each jamo (using \pstextpath) of a stacked vertical lettering with a bold slanted Gothic, filled with a blue gradient (using \pscharpath).


          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



2.1  Hong Gil-dong revisited


The folk hero defying the powerful is still well established in both Koreas (if only for different purposes). His name not only serves as placeholder equivalent to “John Doe,” but also has found expressions in contemporary politics.  There are numerous print and screen adaptations. Even Hong Gil-dong computer games exist, and so do tourist attractions.

Speculations about Hong Gil-dong’s origin reveal early Korean-Japanese ties, as he became king (or another kind of high ranked official) of the fictional Yul-do, an ancient kingdom probably associated with Yuguguk (琉球國, 유구국 / 류구국), which refers to that of Ryukyu (JA 琉球国 Ryūkyū koku), located at Okinawa Island.

This tale was considered to be the first Korean novel ever.  Its assumed author was the free-spirited politician, poet, and philosopher Huh Kyun (허균 許筠 Heo Gyun, 1569–1618), who expressed his ideas of a nation without social imbalances this way.  This is remarkable, as he had been born into the ruling yangban class.  He remained subversive, and at the end of his wild life he was executed.

In this context his not less famous sister Heo Nanseolheon (허난설헌 許蘭雪軒, 1563­–1589) must be mentioned.  Though coming from a prominent, strictly conservative Confucian upbringing, she had got supported by her intellectual brothers.  It is said, she had been esteemed for her poetic, calligraphic and painting masterpieces already at childhood age.  She suffered from an unhappy marriage and died before her time.


          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



2.2  Spoiling for revolution and education


The novel indicates the author’s rebelious mind twice: Politically by contents as well as by composition, as it was completely written in Hangul 한글 (IPA [haːn.ɡɯl]), the previously invented alphabet!

There had been other several attempts for writing Korean before.  And speculations exist about the origin of Hangul.  However, its aim were first the proper notation of the Korean language, covering words as well as grammar, since this was hardly possible with Chinese – a problem also other Asian languages were dealing with.  Second, the people should be able learn the new script very easily.  In fact, compared to the several thousands of Chinese ideographic characters (한자 漢字 Hanja), the few dozens of letters representing the sounds became extraordinarily popular.

Hence the proclamation of Hangul was a broadly conceived literacy campaign (and thus disputed among conservative elitist circles).  This role model function was later nationally rewarded by the “Hangul Day.”  Internationally, in the name of Hangul the UNESCO globally promotes literacy campaigns themself, and the UNESCO Memory of the World Register enlisted the famous Hunminjeongum Manuscript (훈민정음 訓民正音, lit. “The Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People,” published in 1446).

Please note, that there exist several synonyms of this term with different connotations.  Also the script itself has been varied and developed throughout the centuries. – There are even different transcriptions; anyway I prefer “Hangul.”

Nonetheless, for a long time Hangul and Hanja were used side by side, especially in media.  Today, Hanja (despite to the Kanji in Japan) are quite unpopular for pupils and hardly found in everyday life, except for special purposes, though there is a standard set of 1.800 characters tought at school.  Efforts for Hanja learning have a hard time, what’s IMO a pity.  A profound knowledge at least helps identifying Sino-Korean homophones.


          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



3.  Links and References


3.1  Document related

  • my github resources: [link]
  • text resource from German Wikipedia: [link]
  • CTAN entry for HLaTeX: [link]
  • CTAN entry for pst-plot: [link]
  • CTAN entry for pst-text: [link]
  • CTAN entry for pst-grad: [link]

          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



3.2  Further information about Hong Gil-dong and the Hong Gil-dong Jeon

  • HGDJ opening page image: [link]
  • HGD entries in the database of the “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty” by National Institute of Korean History: [link] (KO)
  • 홍길동 and 홍길동전 entries at the “Database of Korean Classics”: [link #1]  [link #2] (KO)
  • German authorized translation from the Tale of HGD by H. G. Arnous (Leipzig 1896): [link]
  • “Hong Gil-dong Was [a] Modern-Minded Idealist”: [link] (Koreatimes, 2010-2-5, on the occasion of another HGD related book launch)
  • popular HGD bibliography: [link] (KO)
  • some HGD filmography: [link]
  • a Westerner’s critique of the DPRK production “Hong Kil Dong” (1986): [link]
  • promotion for the latest HGD drama series in 2008: [link] (KO)
  • HGD Theme Park and HGD Festival in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province: [link #1]  [link #2] (KO)
  • HGD in Japanese Wikipedia, referring to a rebel named “Oyake Akahachi”: [link] – Ntl. the Korean version states, this would be lacking of evidence.
  • R. J. Fouser: Translations of Hong Kildong: From Story to Classic to Mascot and Beyond, in: Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch, Vol. 75, 2000, pp. 25–41: [link]
  • Archived newspaper article about a JA-KO scientific symposium in Okinawa, that came to the conclusion Akahachi was not Hong Gil-dong, but participants expressed their wishes for continuing bi-lateral academic exchange beyond that matter anyway (Ryukyu Shimpo, 2001-05-08): [link] (JA)
  • Yet no appearance of HGD in the database of the Japanese Korean Cultural Center: [link #1]  [link #2]
  • example for an EN usage for HGD as placeholder: [link]
  • HGD as namesake for a Vietnam War operation: [link]

          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



3.3  Heo Gyun and Heo Chohui (허초희 許楚姬, 1563–1589)

  • Naver article about Heo Gyun: [link] (KO)
  • nicely made private collection of works by Heo Gyun (pen name Gyosan 교산 蛟山): [link] (KO, EUC-KR)
  • same style collection of works by Heo Chohui (pen name Nanseolheon 난설헌 蘭雪軒): [link] (KO, EUC-KR)
  • Heo Gyun and Nanseolheon’s birthplace in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province: [link #1] (KO)  [link #2] (EN)

          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]



3.4  Hangul and the Hunminjeongeum

  • the HMJU in the UNESCO List of Memories of the World: [link #1] (EN)  [link #2] (KO)
  • the HMJU in a private blog: [link] (April 6, 2011)

          [ ^ ]     [ Contents ]






.: previous deviation :: { Typodrome | DTP } :: next deviation :.



Comments welcome!

Image size
356x1494px 225.82 KB
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In