| Hangul: | 홍길동전 |
| Rr: | Honggildongjeon |
| Mr: | Honggiltongjŏn |
Hong Gildong jeon is a Korean novel, often translated as The Biography of Hong Gildong, written during the Joseon period. The novel is considered an iconic piece of Korean literature and culture.
Hong Gildong, an illegitimate son of a nobleman and his lowborn concubine, is the main character of the story. Gifted with supreme intelligence and supernatural abilities, he steals from rich and corrupt aristocrats. Historical sources point to the existence of a bandit named Hong Gildong who was arrested in 1500,[1] but the historical inspiration for the character was the Korean bandit and folk hero Im Kkeokjeong, who lived in the early 16th century.[2]
"During the 15th year of King Sejong's reign in the nation of Joseon, there was only one prime minister[3] outside of the doors of Hong Hee-mun; his surname was Hong and his given name was Mun...[4] "
This is the first sentence of the novel, introducing the main character, Hong Gil-dongs father. It is the beginning of the complete 36-chapter edition of Hong Gildong-jeon. Among the various editions of Hong Gildong-jeon, this is the most widely used edition in academia. It is a different edition (이본/異本) written much later than the original.
Hong Gildong jeon can also be referred to as just 'Hong Gil-dong', abbreviating the word jeon (전/傳), meaning 'novel' or 'story' in Hanja.
Various versions of Hong Gildong jeon exist, each including different details but following the same skeleton and timeline. The story is usually divided into three equal parts, each occurring in different settings.[5] The first part is set in the residence of the Hong Family. After waking from an auspicious dream, the High Minister, Hong Mo, lies with a lowborn maid and conceives Hong Gildong. The story then shifts to Gildong's childhood where he masters his physical, mental, and magical abilities. The first part concludes with Hong Gildong stopping an assassin's attempt on his life and then leaving the Hong residence, unsatisfied with his status as a secondary son.
In the second part, Hong Gildong becomes the leader of a band of outlaws whom he names Hwalbindang ("league of those who help the impoverished").[6] Gildong and his band steal from locations where wealth is held throughout the country, like storehouses and temples. As his robberies become bolder and more frequent, he draws the attention of the King and ultimately ends up leaving the country in self-imposed exile.
The third part takes place in the country of Yul. Hong Gildong starts over with the Hwalbindang at the island of Jae and then overthrows the King of Yul to become King. He rules as a benevolent king and begins his own family at Yul, in which he treats his secondary and primary sons equally.
Many aspects of Hong Gildong-jeon are very similar to that of other heroic novels, featuring noble lineage, abnormal birth, extraordinary abilities, crises, and the overcoming and conquering of those crises—also the typical elements of Korean and other East-Asian classic novels. However, it presents more developed themes compared to other rather simplistic entertainment novels of the Joseon era, which mainly centered around characters trying to achieve success and fame.
Hong Gildong is often viewed as a reflection of its time. Depending on the Heo Gyun authorship model or the one that Kang proposes, this perspective differs. Kang suggests that peace and prosperity in 18th century Korea under the rule of Yeongjo and Jeongjo allowed for increased social mobility and literacy. This led to the development of a market for popular fiction, and Hong Gildong jeon is exemplary of these kinds of novels.
There are more than 34 existing manuscripts of Hong Gildong jeon. Scholars are uncertain which, if any, is the original manuscript, but some evidence suggests that the pilsa 89 manuscript is the oldest surviving version.[7]
The original author of Hong Gildong remains a debate.
The debate centers largely on two sides, with one believing that Hong Gildong was written by a 16th-century Korean scholar and thinker, Heo Gyun (1569–1618), and the other believing that it was written by a unknown author whose name is lost.
Authorship of the novel is sometimes attributed to Heo Gyun, a radical intellectual who long dreamed of changing Korea into a fair society with fewer strict class hierarchies. The first attribution to Heo Gyun is from the writings of 'Taek-dang'[8] Yi Sik (이식 李植 1584–1647), his former student, in his art collection 'Taek-Dang-jip',[9] or
Notable advocates of this theory include Sim-Jae[14] (심재 沈梓, 1624 - 1693) and Hong Han Ju (홍한주 洪翰周, 1798- 1868), Who both wrote in each of their own books 송천필담(松泉筆譚) and 지수점필(智水拈筆) that Heo Gyun wrote Hong Gil Dong, Citing Yi-Sik's Taek Dang Jip. Sim-Jae was an extremist Nam-in, and Hong Han Ju was the grandson of the cousin of Hong Guk-yeong, a Sedo (세도) family-man of early Jeongjo's rule, which can serve as proof that Yi Sik's testament was convincing to some contemporary figures, regardless of political parties and background.[15]
Furthermore, Heo Gyun is said to be the author because of his radical ideas of political revolution, which are projected in Hong Gildong's journey from secondary son to king.
Academics, who argue against Heo Gyun's authorship on the other hand, attribute the authorship to another figure or a lost individual.
Professor Lee Yoon-suk argues that even though Heo-Gyun lived in the late 16th to the early 17th century,, a late 17th-century figure, who was a bandit in real life, and Sun-hye-chung, 선혜청(宣惠廳), an 18th-century institution, appears in the novel, making it impossible for him to have written it, alongside the circumstantial evidence of all other pure Hangul novels emerging in the late 18th century.[16] [17] Instead, he argues that the original of Hong Gil Dong Jeon was written by 'Ji so'[18] Hwang il Ho (황일호1588∼1641), as Noh hyuk Jeon (노혁전 盧革傳), in Jiso-sunseng-mun-jip (지소선생문집), or the works of the scholar Ji-So.[19] Lee goes to emphasize that In Noh hyuk Jeon, or the story of Noh Hyuk, Hwang Il Ho states early on that "Noh-Hyuk's original surname is Hong, and his given name "Gil-Dong", and (he) truly is from a notable family in our nation...", making sure that the character was Hong Gil-Dong.[20]
In a 2013 article in Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Minsoo Kang argues that the claim for Heo Gyun as author of the novel is based on flawed and biased scholarship. He proposes instead that the extant version of the novel was written around the mid-19th century, or not long before that, "by an anonymous writer of secondary or commoner status".
In addition to its reputation as a literary work, Hong Gildong jeon has become widely known in Korean culture through various adaptations across different mediums. The story has inspired films, TV shows, comics, literary re-tellings, and video games, and continues to be frequently adapted. Korean rapper G-Dragon makes several references to him in his lyrics. For example, in "Knock Out," he says, "They call me Hong Gildong". There is a Hong Gildong theme park in Jangseong County,[22] traditionally thought to be the character's birthplace, and a Hong Gildong festival is held in Jangseong each year.[23]
The character of Hong Gildong has become a mainstay of Korean culture and literature. In Korea today, Hong Gildong is a common placeholder name, similar to John Doe in the United States.[24] Charles Montgomery of the website Korean Literature in Translation explains, "In Korean literature Hong Gildong is legion. He is a fixture from one of the most important early novels in Hangul – he is the first truly 'Korean' main character".[25] Professor Minsoo Kang writes in the foreword to his translation, "The Story of Hong Gildong is arguably the single most important work of classic (i.e., premodern) prose fiction of Korea, in terms of not only its literary achievement but also of its influence on the larger culture".[26] NPR's Ari Shapiro explained on Fresh Air, "Sometimes, a single character can help define a country's sense of self. Here in the U.S., you might think of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby or Superman. In North and South Korea, it's Hong Gildong".[27]
The similarities of the plot of Hong-Gildong being a folk bandit has drawn him comparisons to famous bandits like the English folk hero Robin Hood and Australia's Ned Kelly.