Images of Tigers in Late Choson Stories: In Relation to the Ecological Crisis of Choson Tigers
- 주제(키워드) tigers , late Choson , literary representation of tigers , tiger ecosystems , ecological crisis
- 주제(기타) History; Asian Studies
- 설명문(일반) [Kim, Youme] Yonsei Univ, Seoul, South Korea; [Kim, Kyungmi] Ewha Womans Univ, Ewha Inst Humanities, Seoul, South Korea
- 관리정보기술 faculty
- 등재 AHCI, SCOPUS
- 발행기관 DUKE UNIV PRESS
- 발행년도 2021
- URI http://www.dcollection.net/handler/ewha/000000183799
- 본문언어 영어
- Published As http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/07311613-9155233
초록/요약
This study examines the images of tigers in late Choson stories as they relate to ecological changes during the late Choson period. As a popular literary topic, tigers have held various and sometimes conflicting roles, ranging from Heaven's sacred agents to brutal beasts. The increase in human population and the expansion of farmland caused the loss of tigers' habitats and narrowed their food sources, which eventually increased tiger-human encounters and intensified state-led tiger extermination policies. This study shows that the images of tigers generally shifted from formidable and mysterious beings to controllable, wounded, and even obedient animals over time. The frequent descriptions of tigers killed by women, tigers asking for people's help, and porridge-eating tigers in late Choson stories reflect people's modified view of tigers, even though actual tigers remained a threat during that period. A consideration of the ecological factors depicted in tiger stories over time suggests that changes in the societal point of view regarding these animals impact how tigers' characters were portrayed.
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