[Feature] The Power for Change We Find in Literature
The Quarterly Changbi 206, Winter 2024
Abstract
The feature, “The Power for Change We Find in Literature,” in which we search for the power for civilizational transformation existing in literature, presents three articles by literary critics. By meticulously analyzing poems by Shin Kyung-rim and Kim Seung-hee, Yang Kyung Eon tries to reinstate the unique power of lyric poems. Yang convincingly discusses how masterpieces of lyric poetry have always been free from the pressure of recently prevalent discourse that emphasizes the avoidance of lyricism.
Joung Ju A argues that we all share the same destiny, as “earth-dwellers,” finding the courage and vision for degrowth alive in recent works by newly emerging authors, such as Sung Haena, Kim Yuna, and Kong Hyun Jin, as well as established novelist Jeon Sungtae. Joung’s trust in the power of literature to overcome the illusion of a production-based growth ideology is persuasive.
Analyzing a new novel by Kim Ae-ran, Jung Hongsoo carefully explains how the power of a novel as fiction can overlap with our belief in truth. Although a novel cannot guarantee any belief or promise, it can help us to clearly feel and imagine them. It is from this capability that the unique power of literature originates.