Title: Narratives of the Vietnam War by Korean and American writers /
Authors: Park, Jinim.
Publisher: Peter Lang,
Year: 2007
Subjects: Human body in literature.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Literature and the war; American fiction History and criticism; Korean fiction History and criticism.; War stories, American History and criticism.; War stories, Korean History and criticism.; Women and war in literature.; Race in literature.
Abstract: "This book explores diverse cultural issues of the Vietnam War, including body, race, gender, and nation, based on the experiences of Koreans and Americans. In contrast with American writers such as Tim O'Brien, Michael Herr, Gustav Hasford, Joan Didion, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Bobbie Ann Mason, who focus primarily on how Americans perceived the war and its affect on American society, three Korean writers, Hwang Suk-young, Park, Young-han, and Ahn Junghyo, testify that the war also played a crucial role in changing Korean society and culture of the era. They maintain that Koreans were more concerned with national and racial issues than with troubled individuals, and that Korean soldiers were sensitive to material aspects of the war, regarding themselves as American mercenaries. The book also considers the contrasting perspectives in the narratives of O'Brien and Hwang, who both examine the My-Lai massacre. Narratives of the Vietnam War by Korean and American writers is a useful resource for courses in comparative literature, English literature, cultural studies, gender studies, and Asian studies."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: Ch. 1. Introduction : the Vietnam War which is not one -- Ch. 2. Bodies in the Vietnam War -- Ch. 3. Women and the Vietnam War -- Ch. 4. The colonized colonizers : Korean experiences of the Vietnam War -- Ch. 5. My Lai revisited : Tim O'Brien's postmodern narrative vs. Hwang Suk-Young's realistic narrative.