Folk Tales from Korea

by In-sŏb Zŏng (Translator)

These tales present a glimpse of Korean society which is not obscured by the heavy mask of classical tradition. The family ethics of Confucianism appears not as they are enshrined in the Classics, but as they are worked out in the lives of the people, and sometimes of the animals.

Genres: Fiction, Mythology, Asia, Short Stories

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection could be a lot better if they would just clean up the awkwardness of the translations and the numerous spelling/grammar mistakes. I understand the stories were collected in the early part of the last century but there are many talented Korean-English translators in this day and age, and this book could def. use one. A lot of these stories and Korean classics that are frequently published in English, so it would be nice to have a well transcribed collection of them on hand.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

3 out of 99 stories were funny or very good. 4 at a stretch. The others were absolute nonsense/wank/or plain toss. Not a great advert for Korean literature.Plus it's littered with grammatical errors and numerous spelling mistakes.

[Mithun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collecting of folk tales which highlight the Confucian values

[Ranko Hong · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who is interested in Korean culture, this book was interesting and enjoyable. I was able to have fun learning about myths, legends, and fairytales. One thing that surprised me was that "The Nine-Tailed Fox" had a totally different story than what I had in mind. I learned the creature from a drama and it was nice that I was able to learn the real story of the nine-tailed fox. "The Sun and the Moon" was also interesting. It kind of reminded me of little red riding hood in the beginning but reading more, it became more cruel and sad. I was shocked but pleased as the two children became the sun and the moon in the end. I, unfortunately, didn't read all of the stories, but this book made me more interested in Korean culture!

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this collection, but left very disappointed. Perhaps this is more valuable to those with an academic interest in Korean folklore, but as a casual reader, this was painful to read. There is simply no art to the telling of these stories, though many have the chance to be quite charming or funny. It is almost as if they are being told by someone who is bored of telling stories. I appreciate that this could be a result of the way these stories were collected and translated, but again, as a casual reader, I found next to no joy in these pages.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting compilation of the various stories that make up a small bit of Korean folklore.
Though it was very enjoyable to read, there are various punctuation, spelling and grammar errors throughout the book. However, I am willing to forgive it as the author is not a native English speaker. Yet the editor should have done a better job, let's not forget that.
If you are going to Korea or are looking for more of an insight into the culture of this beautiful country, definitely check this work out.

[Niuosha]

نمی خوام رای بدم چون ترجمه واقعا فاجعه بود تا جایی که جاهایی از داستان ها کاملا از دست آدم در می رفت و کاملا نامفهوم میشد .

این کتاب برای کسانی که به فرهنگ کره علاقه دارن خوبه ولی کاش یکی دیگه ترجمه کنه و یا شاید ترجمه انگلیسی بهتر باشه .... نمی دونم ...

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I'm doing research in the study of Korea and have chosen my topic within folkloristic fields, I have taken it upon me to read a lot of folktales along with academic research about them.

I have read some academic reviews about this collection of stories. One of them was a review from prof. B. Walraven (who has also taught some of my classes). He states that the categorisation of these tales is not very well done, as some of the tales are merely listed according to some minor detail, to one of the 5 categories of the book (myths, legends, fables, fairy tales and old novels).

Others state that the lack of English proficiency of the author is disturbing and should have been corrected before publication.

I agree that the categorization of the tales is a little dubious and should be explained, either in a foreword or at the beginning of each distinctive category. The categorisations as they are now do make for great stops between reading sessions though. :)

About the lack of English proficiency, it didn't much bother me. Sometimes a word like "the" was missing or a sentence was steuctured awkwardly, but that is easy to overcome. Sure, a second editor to correct the errors would have been nice, but to me the use of English in this collection had its charm too.

Some of these stories, especially those listed under the categorisation "fables" had me in stitches! I told some of them to my sister and friends and they all laughed heartly too.

I recommend everyone to try and read a few Korean folktales, they are often very funny, silly and / or interesting.

[Meri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got through about 4/5 of this, so I'm counting it as read. Like many mythology collections, this one made the mistake of arranging itself by subject and theme. Since many myths are just small variations on other myths, this makes reading the entire volume tedious. Nonetheless, I learned a fair amount about Korean values and beliefs. There were lots of foxes and tigers, but interestingly enough, foxes and tigers can be good or evil.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction was super helpful in providing context, which I really appreciated. My favourite section was the legends, with the Story of Jibong coming in as my favourite (I love me my tricksters). I also learned that tigers and foxes are not that popular and goblins function like the fair folk in European mythology- helpful or hurtful depending on the story.

[John Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A large collection of Korean tales, originally published in 1970. I put it on my Korean-premodern shelf because most of the tales date from the Joseon era and some go back centuries. However an unusual and I think quite valuable feature of the book is that the author has collected them all from traditional story tellers and has presumably passed them on in the form he got them.

[Kaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read, and it gives some good insight into Korean culture. Bodily functions make people vulnerable to magical creatures, and women living alone are either tigers in disguise or they die a terrible death. Still, I recommend it.