Korean ＂picture brides＂ who migrated to Hawaii a century ago are reborn in stories through literary works produced in 21 st-century Korea and the USA. The literary value of picture bride stories is an important star...Korean ＂picture brides＂ who migrated to Hawaii a century ago are reborn in stories through literary works produced in 21 st-century Korea and the USA. The literary value of picture bride stories is an important starting point for raising awareness of the reality of Korean migration to the US a century ago and for understanding the status of the 20th-century Korean diaspora beyond national borders and cultural boundaries. This study aimed to investigate the historical background of picture brides in Hawaii in the early 20th century so as to research that the life of Korean picture brides was much harder than those of other Asian picture brides. The stories of picture brides, gleaned from various oral narratives, news articles, poems, plays, and novels, not only represent in great detail the patriarchal and nationalistic discourse prevalent in the period in the US on Korean and Asian picture brides, but also provide important details on these women＇s daily living, independent efforts to make new lives in Hawaii, and the transboundary hybrid culture that emerged as a result. The comparative-literary approach of the study also captures the value of the transnationalist thread in the literary works under study.展开更多
文摘Korean ＂picture brides＂ who migrated to Hawaii a century ago are reborn in stories through literary works produced in 21 st-century Korea and the USA. The literary value of picture bride stories is an important starting point for raising awareness of the reality of Korean migration to the US a century ago and for understanding the status of the 20th-century Korean diaspora beyond national borders and cultural boundaries. This study aimed to investigate the historical background of picture brides in Hawaii in the early 20th century so as to research that the life of Korean picture brides was much harder than those of other Asian picture brides. The stories of picture brides, gleaned from various oral narratives, news articles, poems, plays, and novels, not only represent in great detail the patriarchal and nationalistic discourse prevalent in the period in the US on Korean and Asian picture brides, but also provide important details on these women＇s daily living, independent efforts to make new lives in Hawaii, and the transboundary hybrid culture that emerged as a result. The comparative-literary approach of the study also captures the value of the transnationalist thread in the literary works under study.
