Seoul Selection Editorial Department: Confucians in Love

This book is written in English. “The Tale of Sim Saeng” builds on a structure similar to the first half of “Looking Over the Wall: the Tale of Yi Saeng,” and yet it is a tragedy with a completely different tone and story arc. The two works are alike in that the youths fall in love when they chance upon the other on the street, and that the affairs progress as the youths steal over walls into the young women’s homes. However, Yi Ok (1760?1812), the author of “The Tale of Sim Saeng,” chose a bleak, fatal ending for the lovers rather than the happy union of “Looking Over the Wall: the Tale of Yi Saeng.” That is, Kim Siseup’s love story was paired with a heartbreaking but romantic fantasy, while Yi Ok’s work is a much more sober and realistic tragedy.

Korean title: Confucians in Love

Korean author: 서울셀렉션 편집부

Korean publisher: 서울셀렉션

ISBN-13: 9781624120152