The Shift Towards Materialism in Korean Horror Films: Representing Trans-corporeality in "Feng Shui" Narratives and Its Underlying Historical Trauma

FEI DENG

The University of Hong Kong, China; u3009517@connect.hku.hk

This study examines the nexus of supernaturalism, nationalism, and the concept of "space of memory" in cross-national East Asian horror films, offering a critical analysis of the narrative in the 2024 film "Exhuma" (Excavate The Grave). Set against the backdrop of post-WWII Korea, the movie follows the actions of an elderly Korean Feng Shui master and a young shaman as they unite their forces to combat a curse left by the Japanese onmyōji along the 38th Parallel. Their objective is twofold: to thwart the historical curse and to safeguard Korea's future from the shadows of its past. Using varied filmmaking techniques of the horror genre and transhistorical perspectives, "Exhuma" intricately weaves together forgotten generational and cross-border memories, official narratives, and surreal visions of the Korean Peninsula's historical myth, creating a narrative tapestry that facilitates the healing of historical traumas. By leveraging the "Feng Shui" elements, the film not only critiques the established boundaries and societal norms but also blurs the line between suppressed communal memory and official documents using the unique technique of horror movie storytelling, thereby opening up new avenues for introspection and societal critique within the realm of East Asian cinema.

Lizard King Meets the Beats: A Comparative Study on the Poetry of Jim Morrison in the shadow of the Beats

Dwaipayan Roy

NIT Mizoram, India; brucewayne130@gmail.com

The 1950s & 60s saw the emergence of the Beat Generation literary movement, which questioned social conventions and encouraged a new generation to pursue unusual avenues for self-expression. Jim Morrison, the iconic front man of the Doors, was profoundly influenced by the writings of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Michael McClure. Morrison's early exposure to Beat literature influenced the formation of his distinct aesthetic perspective. Beat themes of existentialism, rebellion against conformity, and a quest for spiritual enlightenment struck a chord with Morrison and became essential elements of his lyrical and poetic expressions. The research employs a comparative analysis of key Beat texts and Morrison's lyrical poetry to identify thematic parallels and stylistic influences. It also sheds light on the impact of the Beat Generation's rejection of societal constraints on Morrison’s experimentation with tabooed or forbidden subjects. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the essay provides a comprehensive understanding of the symbiotic relationship between Beat Generation literature and Jim Morrison's artistic evolution. In short, this article critically traces the influences of the Beat Generation in the writings of Morrison.

Re-imagining Japan in India: Studying Nationalism, Memory and Transnational Alliances through Indian Literary Narratives

Arpita Sen

University of Dehi, India; sen.arpita@gmail.com

192 – 1945 were very important years in the history of India and Japan. For India, these years were the height of their anti-colonial struggle and what it meant to be Indian. Japan, too, strove to create a new image of themselves. They wished to recast themselves as the ‘spiritual’ and cultural ‘liberators’ of Asia where western imperialism would be banished and all of Asia would ‘Co-Prosper’. Evidence may be found in the Meiji Pledge of 1868, which sought to promote “Knowledge [that would] be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule”. There was a rapidly growing discourse that positioned Japan as the “guardian and protector of Asia” against the West.

The paper traces the historical circumstances of World War II and Japan’s Asia campaigns during the war and argues that the Japanese Imperial Army’s invasion of India - transformed how Japan was perceived in India. The paper tries to uncover this using the personal and collective memories of and about wartime Japan in India as portrayed in Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya’s novel Love in The Time of Insurgency (originally published as Yuruingam in 1960) and Eastern Kire’s Mari (2010). These narrations specifically focus on the Japanese invasion of North East India during the Second World War. Using theories of memory studies, the paper will study how identity and belonging is continuously constructed, deconstructed and re-constructed by nations, governments, soldiers, citizens in and from Japan and India.

I argue that these narratives also outline the nature of the political discourse in 1940s India, drawing attention to shifting loyalties in support of or opposition to participation in the Second World War. Using literary and historical testimonies from multi-generational sources, this paper also unearths the ideas of nationhood and nationalism that existed in the era. It questions how the ideas of nation’, ‘nationalism’, ‘freedom’ and ‘patriotism’ prevailed in the era. I study these ideas using Rabindranath Tagore’s conceptualisation of Japan, Pan-Asianism and Nationalism, specially focussing on his essays Nationalism in India and Nationalism in Japan. The paper demonstrates how Tagore’s ideas of nationalism may be in contrast with the transforming social, political and cultural policies in the same era, especially propounded by Okakura in his text The Ideals of The East. The paper also briefly tracks the history of Japan and India encounters – through Indian historical and literary archives.

Living Comparative Literature: One stage at a time

Akshar Tekchandani

University of Delhi, India; akshartekchandani99@gmail.com

Comparative Literature has much evolved since it was first broached, so much so that there are sub disciplines studied within it globally. One such classification is Comparative Indian Literature or CIL. Given the vast geography and unparalleled diversity of India, the availability of several languages and their respective literatures opens new doors to comparison and comparative analysis. An Indian classical dancer such as a Kathak artiste who performs all over India gets to breathe and live this literature on stage. While performing in Kolkata, one can't avoid taking up a piece by Tagore and while performing in Vrindavan, most dancers take up a Shloka on Krishna.