Sources of Korean Tradition, Vol. 2: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Centuries

by Peter H. Lee, William Theodore de Bary, Yongho Ch'oe (Editor)

Modeled after the classic Sources of Chinese Tradition, Sources of Japanese Tradition, and Sources of Indian Tradition, this collection of seminal primary readings in the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of Korea from the sixteenth century to the present day lays the groundwork for understanding Korean civilization and demonstrates how leading intellectuals and public figures in Korea have looked at life, the traditions of their ancestors, and the world they lived in.

The selections range from the mid- and late Chosôn dynasty in the sixteenth century, through the encounter with the West and imperialist Japan in the late ninteenth and early twentieth centuries, to the political and cultural events in South and North Korea since 1945―ending with President Kim Taejung's 1998 inaugural address.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Asia, Asian Literature

487 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Peter H. Lee (1929-) was born in Seoul, Korea. He received his B.A. from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and his M.A. from Yale in 1953. Lee went on to study various languages and comparative literatures at universities in Switzerland, Italy, England and Munich, Germany, where he earned his Ph.D. from Ludwig-Maximilian University in 1958. After holding positions at Columbia, Hawaii, and UC Berkeley, Lee came to UCLA in 1987 to begin his distinguished teaching career in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures as a professor of Korean and comparative literature. Professor Lee is an academic pioneer, credited with single-handedly developing the field of Korean literature, especially in a comparative context, in the West. He is the author of 16 books and numerous articles.

(from http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:...)

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Companion to Volume I (see previous review), takes Korean intellectual history from the 17th century to the modern period.It covers the encounter with the west (ah the "Hermit Kingdom" didn't totally shut things out) and continues the discussion and document sourcing for Confucianism as it evolved in Korea. It also addresses the Tonghak uprising. Some of the readings there like the "Four Rules of the Tonghak Peasant Army" and "The Twelve Rules of Conduct of the Tonghak Peasant Army" sound very much like the rules developed for the Chinese Red Army. For me, the most fascinating section is the last one which deals with Korean attempts to resist the Japanese. Korean resistance efforts are little known and prior to the 1990s the books that had been published in Asian were done by the Japanese. The Japanese revered Ito Hirobumi, for example, as a great patriot. In Korea, he was seen in a totally different way, But, the Colonial occupiers, the Japanese, were the first to get their version of the story out. If for no other reason, the section on the Independence Club and the People's Assembly make the book worth having. Finally, the book focuses On the formation of the Korean Communist Party in Shanghai and historiography. Like it's companion volume, this is not light reading, but it is incredible reading and fundamental for real insight into Korean thought, culture and politics. Okay, I'm a nerd on many aspects of Korea. KOREAN PRIDE!

[Robert Jeens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sources of Korean Tradition offers genuine insights into Korean history, presenting contemporary documents alongside introductions by leading scholars. Rather than just a textbook, you can read about how the people who lived historical events observed them and thought about them. The editors put it thus, "what ideas, practices, and institutions contribute to the processes of civilization, especially in urban life, literate discourse, complex social and economic organization, and the attendant traditions of civility"

I am not a expert and the texts are in translation, but I feel as if I have more of the flavor of the times, as well as a little more knowledge. Overall, the book is stronger on the Chosun Dynasty than the modern period. I was happy to read Yi Ik for the first time, as well as many of the proposals for reform in the nineteenth century. You can skip the parts you aren't interested in. There are some very obscure discussions of Neo-Confucian philosophy, but at the same time writing by very influential people. There are selections written by the most important Korean nationalists, as well as Presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chung Hee and Kim Dae Jung. Also Kim Il Sung.

This is useful intellectual history. The pairing of primary sources and expert commentary gave me some insight into the thoughts of prominent thinkers and how Korea developed into the modern nation is has become.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the first volume, the second volume in this series is a great selection of interesting primary sources from Korea translating into English, spanning the late Chosun Dynasty to the 1990s. This book contains especially a lot of material on the Korean nationalist movement during the Japanese colonial period and some early post independence official documents. A good resource for those who teach East Asian history and want to incorporate some Korean sources into the discussion.

[elizabeth (yyaksok) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ASIA 337

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My constant companion in Asian history classes since first discovering this particular series of source books two years ago. Provides an excellent range of documents from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me waaaaaay too long to finish this. This and the prior volume are a great place to start with Korean historical studies... but I wish they included more literature and poetry. You don't have to take anything out, just please add some extra pages my good sirs...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book for my Korean history class, it had everything from first person accounts to the full texts from official articles.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, packed with details and straightforward language, a lot of primary sources (translated) and quite trustworthy.
It covers an extensive period of history pretty well.