The Story Archive

Song of the Sword

Kim Hoon · 2001 CE · Novel · Korean · Contemporary

Admiral Yi Sun-sin tells in his own spare voice of the last years of the Japanese invasions of Korea, when he was dismissed, tortured and then restored to command against a larger fleet. He sets down his doubts about the court and the meaning of killing. It is the most widely read Korean literary novel of the decade, noted for the austerity of its prose.

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Attributes

Genre
HistoricalWar
Theme
War & ViolenceDuty & HonorLoyaltyPower & CorruptionDeath & MortalityFame & Glory
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
HeroTragic Hero
Plot type
Siege / Last Stand
Form
Chronicle
Symbol / motif
The SwordThe Sea
Conflict
vs Societyvs Person
Mode / tone
RealistEpicElegiac
Culture / tradition
Korean

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