The Tale of a Yangban양반전 · 兩班傳
A deed is drawn up to sell the status of a yangban. As its terms change, questions of respectability and privilege emerge.
Social status · Respectability8 min
The Person Beyond the Name
The title of yangban, the stigma of beggar. What person comes into view when we set aside the names others give?
In The Tale of a Yangban, status becomes something to trade; in The Tale of Gwangmun, a beggar's name becomes the basis of credit. Turning to Heo Gyun's The Tale of Songok the Mountain Dweller, we find poetic talent out of step with the treatment it deserves. Compare the weight of a person's name at its first introduction and at the end of the account. Before reaching a broad conclusion about criticism of the status system, this selection asks who judges people, and on what grounds.
A suggested reading order
01 Start here
02 Read next
The Tale of Gwangmun광문자전 · 廣文者傳
Gwangmun buries a dead child in an old straw mat. Read both the main account of how he earns people's trust and the later tale of what his growing reputation brings.
Trust · Reputation10 min
03 Read next
The Tale of Songok the Mountain Dweller손곡산인전 · 蓀谷山人傳
The poet Lee Dal sets aside a familiar way of writing and spends five years learning anew. Heo Gyun remembers a man whose poetic reputation grew while his place in society remained narrow.
Talent · Learning10 min