An Analysis of Two Anthologies of Modern Korean Literature: From the Perspective of Globalization of Korean Literature and Translation

Abstract

This study reviews two anthologies of modern Korean literature in a descriptive way with a focus on the notion of globalization of Korean literature and translation. Through the comparison of the two anthologies, the study attempts to show how distant the previous approaches to translation of Korean literature were from the goal of globalizing the nation’s literature. In order to locate the place of translation in Korean literature, the study first reviews previous discussions on globalization of Korean literature, those related to translation, in particular. Then, two chosen anthologies of Korean literature, The Modern Korean Literature: An Anthology (1990) and The Modern Korean Fiction: An Anthology (2005), are examined in terms of their organization, preface/introduction, and contents. According to the results of the comparison, neither of the two provided a rationale for the works selected or information on translators except for their names, and both of the anthologies were more like academic textbooks than a literary book. Editions of anthologies can be an effective way to introduce a nation’s literary works, particularly at an initial stage. It is, however, not always a good strategy because an anthology may not find its use other than as a textbook and easily end up sitting on a library bookshelf.