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Publication Date

2024-05-13

First Advisor

Jessica D. Moyer

Second Advisor

Irhe Sohn

Document Type

Honors Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

East Asian Languages and Cultures

Keywords

Guunmong, Joseon Dynasty, Kim Manjung, Dream, Self-Exploration, Mentor, Self-Cultivation, Non-dualism, Tang Dynasty, Three teachings, (Neo-)Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism

Abstract

This thesis examines the Joseon Korean (1392–1897) novel Guunmong, showing that the synthesis of three teachings—(Neo-)Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism—forms an integral part of the novel’s literary framework. Set in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), Guunmong integrates authentic Tang official titles, geography, historical events, and religious context into its three-part narrative. The protagonist Xingzhen begins as a Buddhist monk, becomes the Confucian scholar Yang Shaoyou, and ultimately reverts back to Xingzhen. This plot arc has led many scholars to view the Confucian segment as a subordinate phase that serves to facilitate Xingzhen’s ultimate Buddhist enlightenment and to place significant emphasis on references to the Diamond Sutra to argue that the novel elevates Buddhism over Confucianism. In this research, I recenter the Tang synthesis of three teachings in my interpretation of Guunmong by analyzing the novel’s narrative content and structure, not merely its explicit philosophical statements. I analyze the role of the protagonist’s mentors as a gateway to a novel understanding of his self-exploration. The first part of the study establishes the equal significance of the worlds of Xingzhen and Yang Shaoyou, detailing how mentors in Yang Shaoyou’s world guide his journey of self-cultivation. In the second part, I focus on the transcendental mentors who move between the worlds of Xingzhen and Yang Shaoyou, challenging the conventional dichotomies of academic discourse on literary dreams. Through their actions and teachings, these mentors reveal a non-dualistic cosmology in which the realms of Xingzhen and Yang Shaoyou coexist and connect.

Rights

©2024 Ruolin Demi Gong. Access limited to the Smith College community and other researchers while on campus. Smith College community members also may access from off-campus using a Smith College log-in. Other off-campus researchers may request a copy through Interlibrary Loan for personal use.

Language

English, Chinese, Korean

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