[Literary Criticism]
The Quarterly Changbi 209, Fall 2025
Abstract
In“Literary Criticism,” Han Young-in builds on themes from the previous issue’s feature, focusing on the philosophical underpinnings of realism and the potential for affective transformation in contemporary literature. By linking the works of Henry James and Sung Haena, the article offers a compelling and detailed analysis of the dimension of realism pursued in literary art. In particular, in a rend that positively focuses on the power of emotions, it keenly traces the tendency for one's emotions to become truth, and persuasively conveys the limitations of neoliberal emotional politics. Examining the political nature of emotion in the poetry of younger poets, Park Dong-uk analyzes how today’s poetry seeks to define the meaning of being human. Through works by Nam HyunJi, Yu Seon-hye, and Yun Cho-rom, he traces a poetic effort to contemplate humanity with sincerity and depth. Lee Mijin, recipient of the Changbi Award for Young Writers in the Criticism category, evaluates the realist implications in Kim Kitae’s fiction, highlighting the significance of its utopian impulse as a force that connects micro-level lives and analyzing how this is realized in his works.