Nature as Grace: A Comparative Ecological Study of The Water Babies, Sim Cheong and Princess Bari

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Children and nature are not yet highly regarded in Korea because they are not the responsible or acting agent unlike adult and technology. However, as the pure mirrors reflecting human society interacting with nature, the sacrifice of children and their rebirth through water in children’s literature such as Princess Bari, Sim Cheong and The Water Babies reveal both the idealized value-laden ecosystem and some moral conflicts in human society. This study aims at the recovery of the innocence of children and affinity with nature in our postindustrial society, and argues that the sacrifice of children through water is commonly used in the texts as a source of inspiration, implying the importance of ecocentric values in our efforts to recover wholeness, along with the cultural differences of ecological and societal ethics. Overall, the victimization of innocent children in these stories is the very process of kenotic ethics toward great Love for all living and non-living things. By emptying our selves through the tears of sacrificed children, we can come closest to the heart of the ecosystem.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 Garvey,John, "When a Child Dies" 24 : 1995

2 Emoto Masaru, "Waters Know the Answers. trans. Ukkwan Yang" Namushimneun Saram 2006

3 Kingsley,Charles, "The Water Babies" Puffin 1994

4 Bates,Jonathan, "The Song of the Earth" Picador 2000

5 Kim, Whanhee, "The Shamanist Myth of ‘Princess Bari’ and Its Western Counterparts: A Comparative Study of the Tales of the Water of Life" 10 (10): 1-33, 2002

6 Ryu, Sungmin, "Sacredness and Violence. Seoul: Salim, 2003. The Story of Sim Cheong. ed. Korean Classical Literature Institute" Baek Am Publishing Co 2007

7 Kim, Seunghee, "Princess Bari. Illustrated by Jungin Choi" Biryongso 2006

8 Norton,Donna, "Multicultural Children's Literature: Through the Eyes of Many Children" Person 2004

9 James, Susan E, "Mimetic Rituals of Child Sacrifice in the Hopi Kachina Cult" 44 : 337-356, 2002

10 Russell,David, "Literature for Children:A Short Introduction" Pearson 2005

11 Weir, Jack, "Holmes Rolston III.’ Fifty Key Thinkers on the Environment. Ed. Joy Palmer" Routeledge 2001

12 Rolston III.Holmes, "Genes,Genesis,and God" Cambridge UP 1999

13 Yep,Laurence, "Dragonwings" Harper Collins 1975

14 Harper, Lila Marz, "Children's Literature, Science and Faith: The Water Babies. Children's Literature: New Approach. ed. Karin Lesnik-Oberstein" Palgrave 118-143, 2004

15 Nikolajeva, Maria, "Children's Literature Comes of Age. trans. Seojung Kim" Munhak Kwa Jisung 2004

16 L’Engle,Madeleine, "A Wrinkle in Time" Yearling 2005

17 Baxter, Brian, "A Theory of Ecological Justice" Routledge 2004

18 Wood, Naomi, "(Em)Bracing Icy Mothers: Ideology, Identity, and Environment in Children's Fantasy”. Wild Things: Children's Culture and Ecocriticism. eds. Sidney Dobrin and Kenneth Kidd" Wayne State University Press 198-214, 2004