Introduction
My short story, a progression of polyphonic voices, intends to uncover the private experiences of young Korean women under Japanese colonialism and to explore the enduring impacts of colonisation through time. It is not only a reflection on history but implores the reader to play an active role in creating a shared narrative for the future, which reflects the multiculturalism in Australia. The form of my composition has been significantly inspired by the short stories The Watch and The Fall of the House of Usher, and the research literature The Modern Short-Story and The Short Story: A Critical Introduction.
The Watch
Wiesel’s The Watch has significantly informed my use of motif in my composition. Wiesel’s choice to use a watch as a motif to symbolise the past of the protagonist offers an insight into the history and personal experiences of Jewish Holocaust Survivors. The personification of the watch “And there awakens in me a desire to confide in it, to tell it my adventures, and in exchange, listen to its own,” demonstrates the protagonist’s connection to the inanimate object implying that it has significant meaning as it represents the protagonist’s past.
I have endeavoured to emulate this stylistic feature in my composition by creating the motif of a pearl as emblematic of Korean language and culture. The metaphor “Korean is that precious pearl. A stolen treasure,” underpins the theme of my narrative, exploring the hidden personal experiences of Koreans under Japanese colonialism; to mourn the suppression of Korean culture and to celebrate its endurance in the face of adversity. By emulating this stylistic feature in each of my polyphonic voices, it aids the reader to understand the overarching concern of my composition by drawing connections between the three perspectives and their coherent meanings.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Moreover, marked by the stylistic feature of mise-en-abyme, Poe’s short story The Fall of the House of Usher follows an unnamed narrator and his journey into the mansion owned by his childhood friend, Usher. By creating more literary worlds within the narrative, through the cumulative listing of books “We pored together over… Ververt et Chartreuse of Gresset; the Belphegor of Machiavelli; the Heaven and Hell of Swedenborg…”, Poe creates the sense that these novels are abstract worlds and the House of Usher is the reality. Thus Poe’s use of mise-en-abyme causes an abstract, conceptual self-reflection and self-awareness in his readers.
I have emulated this by containing a partial mise-en-abyme in my composition. Ahmya, the protagonist of my first perspective, reads a fictional story to her brother that serves as a metaphor for her story, demonstrated by the intertextuality “Once upon a time there was a girl, Sim Cheong.” The protagonist is ultimately inspired by this story to rebel against Japanese colonialism and to make her nation proud, just as Sim Cheong desired to make her father proud. By using mise-en-abyme, I invite the reader to reflect on the storytelling within the narrative, and their responsibility to share their experiences to create a more equitable narrative that reflects the multiculturalism of Australia.
The short story: a critical introduction
The short story: a critical introduction has improved my understanding of the significance of setting and the brevity of depictions for creating a succinct short story. Chekhov emphasises the various descriptions that are key to acceptable naturalistic imagery, through the cumulative listing “the twilight, the sombre light, the pool, the dampness, the silver poplars, the clouded horizon, the sparrows, the distant meadow.” Although descriptions must be vivid and pictorial, there is a fine line between “the ‘static’ scene that interferes with narrative flow, and the scene which ‘can be shown, or at least tell, to act upon action or character.'” Thus Shaw envisions the descriptions of settings as succinct, not to disrupt the concise nature of the short story.
I have endeavoured to adopt this in my composition by writing in a simplistic style made eloquent by employing moderation, all the while still creating vivid images, “so that the reader… can at once imagine the landscape depicted.”
When I describe the ocean waves in Jeju-do, “The pristine water glistens as it pulls, to and fro, to and fro,” the repetition of “to and fro” creates a rhythmic, lyrical quality to my writing, and the imagery of the “pristine water” makes it easy for the reader to picture the scene. Thus this text has informed my writing, as I have now effectively adopted the concise nature of writing necessary for the short story form.
The Modern Short-Story
Lastly, Notestein’s The Modern Short-Story has informed my understanding of the concise nature of the short story structure. She stresses the importance of only keeping the details necessary to plot or for the structure of the short story, as emphasised by the cumulative listing “each sentence, each incident, each character, each description, each remark, must be chosen for its harmony with the single effect…” Due to the short story’s succinct nature, the skilful story is only complete when no part can be omitted without the inclination that the story is lacking in some regard. Additionally, each incident of the short story should supply development and life, as demonstrated by the metaphor “There is an upward gradation, and the crises but mark the lookout points along the way, each point higher than the one preceding,” wherein Notestein accentuates the importance of each event serving the purpose to push the narrative towards its foreordained end.
Notestein’s observations on the structural conciseness of the short story have informed the writing of my composition. I have and will continue to be very intentional about my placement of events and characters, and profoundly critical when omitting unnecessary aspects of my story, to satisfy the general structural requirements of the short story, while still achieving my effect to inform and inspire my reader with the utmost emphasis.
Reflection
My composition is critical in contributing to literature, as by exploring the various perspectives and hidden histories that have shaped Korean culture throughout time, my text informs the reader not only of the cultural connections to language and place but additionally of the lasting impacts of colonisation throughout time. My composition mourns the mistreatment of Koreans under Japanese colonialism, investigates how the two cultures have and are yet to reconcile, and lastly celebrates the endurance of Korean culture in both Korea and Australia. Although texts such as mine already exist, mine is unique in the way I utilise polyphony to reveal the personal experiences of Koreans over an extended period, and the way it celebrates these unique voices that are present in both Korea and Australia. With over one-hundred-thousand Koreans living in Australia to date, narratives such as mine are essential in forming the larger, culturally diverse national narrative of Australia.
Conclusion
Through extensive research of form, I have become more informed in my usage of stylistic features and structure. I have adapted and omitted parts of my composition so that it aligns with the general structure of the short story. However, this has not hindered the development of my story but improved my narrative by simplicity made eloquent by moderation, achieving my purpose of exploring the hidden histories and experiences of Koreans under Japanese colonisation with even greater accentuation of my purpose.
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