Corea, the Hermit Nation
Published on 1. January 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
498 pages
978-1-108-08049-1 (ISBN)
Description
Described as a 'hermit nation' because it isolated itself from the rest of the world, Korea remained very little known to English speakers in the late nineteenth century. During his time in Japan, the American author and educator William Elliot Griffis (1843-1928), who did much to foster understanding between the United States and Japan, became fascinated by Korea and its influence on Japanese history and culture. This historical outline of Korea is compiled from printed sources and eyewitness accounts rather than from personal experience since Griffis was yet to visit Korea at this point. Despite this, and the fact that he was sometimes criticised for presenting Korea in comparison with Japan, this book was well received. First published in 1882, it contains an annotated bibliography and features maps and illustrations throughout. Griffis' most famous work on Japan, The Mikado's Empire (1877), is also reissued in this series.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
1 Plates, black and white; 27 Maps; 21 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
696 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-08049-1 (9781108080491)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
William Elliot Griffis (1843 - 1928) was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer and prolific author. Griffis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a sea captain and later a coal trader. During the American Civil War, he served two months as a corporal in Company H of the 44th Pennsylvania Militia after Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania in 1863. After the war, he attended Rutgers University at New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduating in 1869. At Rutgers, Griffis was an English and Latin language tutor for Taro Kusakabe, a young samurai from the province of Echizen (part of modern Fukui). After a year of travel in Europe, he studied at the seminary of the Reformed Church in America in New Brunswick (known today as the New Brunswick Theological Seminary).
Content
Preface; Bibliography; Part I. Ancient and Mediaeval History: 1. The Corean peninsula; 2. The old kingdom of Cho-sen; 3. The Fuyu race and their migrations; 4. Sam-han, or southern Corea; 5. Epoch of the three kingdoms - Hiaksai; 6. Epoch of the three kingdoms - Korai; 7. Epoch of the three kingdoms - Shinra; 8. Japan and Corea; 9. Korai, or united Corea; 10. Cathay, Zipangu, and the Mongols; 11. New Cho-sen; 12. Events leading to the Japanese invasion; 13. The invasion - on to Seoul; 14. The campaign in the north; 15. The retreat from Seoul; 16. Cespedes, the Christian chaplain; 17. Diplomacy at Kioto and Peking; 18. The second invasion; 19. The siege of Uru-san castle; 20. Changes after the invasion; 21. The Issachar of eastern Asia; 22. The Dutchmen in exiles; Part II. Political and Social Corea: 23. The eight provinces; 24. The king and royal palace; 25. Political parties; 26. Organization and methods of government; 27. Feudalism, serfdom, and society; 28. Social life, woman and the family; 29. Child life; 30. Housekeeping, diet, and costume; 31. Mourning and burial; 32. Outdoor life, characters and employments; 33. Shamanism and mythical zoology; 34. Legends and folklore; 35. Proverbs and pithy sayings; 36. The Corean tiger; 37. Religion; 38. Education and culture; Part III. Modern and Recent History: 39. The beginnings of Christianity; 40. Persecution and martyrdom, 1801-34; 41. The entrance of the French missionaries, 1835-45; 42. The walls of isolation sapped; 43. The French expedition; 44. American relations with Corea; 45. A body-snatching expedition; 46. Our little war with the heathen; 47. The ports opened to Japanese commerce; 48. The year of the treaties; Appendix; Index.