This study aims to explain the Korean perception of life after death through the concepts of death and the afterlife depicted in classical novels. Koreans believe that death is the extension of life and view the afterlife not as a space isolated fro... This study aims to explain the Korean perception of life after death through the concepts of death and the afterlife depicted in classical novels. Koreans believe that death is the extension of life and view the afterlife not as a space isolated from life and death but as a space that is bound in the same circulation system as the earth and that has a mutual relationship with the earth. Likewise, the earth and the afterlife are two interlocked cogwheels moving and coexisting in one big world. This is the basis on which Koreans’ perceptions of the world, such as those of life, death, and the afterlife, are formed. To study the perception of death and the afterlife depicted in classical novels, the perception of the afterlife presented in shaman rituals and ethnic funeral customs in Korea was examined first as an observation of Koreans’ fundamental perception of the afterlife. The afterlife depicted in ethnic funeral customs is unclear. There are no specific references to the location or the people residing in that space. When a life ends, a reaper transports only the spirit to the afterlife, and these customs consider the afterlife as a space to which a back and forth access from the earth exists, regardless of the distance. According to shamanic beliefs, after death, the spirit either goes to the afterlife to live a life different from the one it had or is resurrected to the earth. The shamanic view upholds the concept of eternal life, believing that spirits live forever after reaching the afterlife. In particular, the afterlife depicted in shamanic myths is not a space isolated from the earth but an interconnected dimension of communication and enjoyment. The perception of the afterlife stems from an attitude very much centered in the present world, with the afterlife placed around the human world. Some beings have access to both worlds and are helped by divine beings. Moreover, the afterlife is perceived more as a space of faith where one can receive consolation in their present life and be redeemed from the evil things one committed rather than a dichotomous space divided into heaven and hell. This study also examined the meaning of the afterlife depicted in Korean folktales with regard to the aspects of separation of flesh and spirit and death and life after death. Korean folktales depict humans as the union of flesh and spirit; life and death are respectively signaled by the union and separation of flesh and spirit. Since such perceptions of immortality of spirits, separation of flesh and spirit, and life-oriented thinking are demonstrated not only in ethnic funeral customs and shamanism but also in folktales, these may be considered as the prevalent ideas driving Koreans’ fundamental perception of the afterlife. To study the world of the afterlife depicted in classical novels, the deaths depicted in such novels were categorized into the death leading to the afterlife, the death that remains in the present life, and the death entering the eternal world. On the basis of the above categories, the shape of the afterlife was examined. Classical novels present a great diversity of narratives on the process of traveling back and forth to the afterlife. However, the location of the depicted afterlife is vaguely described; it is unclear if it is in the sky, under the ground, or at the end of the world. The shape of the afterlife in classical novels, on the other hand, is similar to hell described in Buddhism. The portrayal of the shape of the afterlife in these novels, however, extends beyond the Buddhist interpretation. There are also spaces that conform to Confucius ideology, and some novels depict the afterlife by combining the existing view on the next life held by Buddhism, the concept of heaven maintained by Taoism, and ethnic funeral customs. Moreover, the afterlife is depicted as a world where characters with human-like features exist. The meaning of the afterlife depicted in classical novels has also been searched in this study. First, although the afterlife is a space of the dead, it is perceived as a space characterized by the life-oriented thinking that one wishes to avoid death and live eternally in the present world. In addition, the space is described as a friendly place where the life span can change and one can be rewarded depending on the action of the person in the present world. Second, a person whose life has ended without opposing the providence of nature is judged by the karma he has done while living on the earth. Also, a person who has more life to live is sent back to the earth to continue life. Thus, the afterlife is a virtual space that controls death and bestows new life, created by the manifestation of awe and doubt about life and death—the most fundamental question faced by humans. Third, although the afterlife is the space where punishments and rewards are given according to good and bad deeds done on the earth, there is no clear indication that good deeds lead to heaven and bad deeds to hell. In other words, the idea that a spirit can return from the afterlife to the present life is engraved in our perception. Finally, according to the shape of the afterlife and its features described above, the afterlife can be summarized as follows. The perception of the afterlife is shaped by a combination of fundamental concepts held by Koreans and the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist views of the afterlife. The afterlife witnesses the instinctive desire of pursuing or extending life on earth, controls death but also bestows new lives, and offers Koreans the hope of eternal rest. ，韩语论文网站，韩语论文网站 |
