Two Asian Classics

[mtvessel]

Sep-Oct 2016
The Story of Hong Gildong – tr. Minsoo Kang - Penguin, 2016 / Monkey - Wu Cheng'en tr. Arthur Waley, Penguin 1961
* * * / * * * *
As part of a reverse grand tour celebrating my half century, I spent an interesting two weeks in China, which made me realise how little Asian classical literature I have read. Monkey seemed a good place to start, and Hong Gildong came up as a recommended accompaniment. Although set in very different societies and at different periods in history, they share a similar approach, not least in their overpowered heroes and in the way they challenge and subvert social norms.

Hong Gildong is a famous Korean folk tale concerning the second son of a nobleman who has the misfortune to be born to his father's concubine rather than his wife. Despite his obvious talents he is sidelined, confined to a small house where he studies military strategy and magical texts and gains great powers. These prove useful when Chorang, the minister's scheming chief concubine, cooks up a conspiracy to slander and destroy him. Later he becomes the leader of a band of ethical outlaws called the Hwalbindang who target corrupt officials and greedy monks. His power and fame grows so much that comes to the attention of the king, but he continues to be frustrated by his status as a secondary son which means that he cannot work as a government official (though he does manage to trick the king into making him the minister of war). So he goes out and conquers his own kingdom, the country of Yul. But will he reconcile to the family he left behind?

Despite his passing similarities to Robin Hood, Hong Gildong is a very different kind of hero. From a western perspective he is ridiculously overpowered, with an array of magical powers at his beck and call that are denied his antagonists and mean that the reader is never left in any doubt about who is going to win. However there is some cunning in the plans that he devises, which largely rely on his opponents underestimating him. His motivations are different too. Whereas Robin Hood, and most western hero figures, are individuals fighting against morally corrupt institutions, Hong Gildong is actually something of an establishment man. The authority figures who oppose him are never portrayed as wicked, but as lacking in the vision to see past his low-born status. It is telling that when given the opportunity to found his own dynasty in Yul, our hero essentially recreates the entire family structure that he left behind with a first wife and concubines. The only telling difference is that he treats all his offspring equally. The chief motivation for Hong Gildong is not justice, but a feeling of social inferiority.

Which, I think it is safe to say, is not an emotion that the eponymous protagonist of Monkey has ever experienced. An irrepressible trickster, no-one is safe from his depredations, not even the Jade Emperor of Heaven himself. When given the lowly job of Master of Horses to keep him quiet, he sets himself up as "The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven", precipitating a rebellion that is only brought to an end by the intervention of the Buddha. He is the embodiment of the mischievous anarchist who refuses to let the stultifying bureaucratic powers-that-be get in his way, be they earthly, hellish or heavenly.

Officially, of course, Monkey is not the hero of the tale. That would be Prince Tripitaka, a Buddhist priest who recruits him as a disciple on a pilgrimage to fetch sacred texts from India, along with two other companions, Pigsy and Sandy. But we all know who it is really. Tripitaka is a gentle but lachrymose wimp who bursts into tears at the first sign of difficulty and comes to rely on Monkey to get him around each obstacle with his formidable array of magical powers. Unlike Hong Gildong, the cast of opposing dragons, Divine Personages, bandits and evil wizards have their own abilities and pose genuine threats, but again, there is no real sense of danger. Fortunately the characters are so good that the reader does not really notice the lack of dramatic tension - not only Monkey himself, but also the stubborn and stupid Pigsy, whom Monkey is constantly tricking, and the reformed river dragon Sandy, who acts as the mediator of the group.

Arthur Waley's translation is justly famed, though I found the frequent repetition of the phrase "Dear Monkey!" rather intrusive. But I really enjoyed the deft depiction of the elaborate social structures of the Court of Heaven which made me want to find out more about the mythology on which it is based. And no-one can fail to enjoy Monkey's ability to tweak the noses of those in authority, with its hopeful message that any repressive power structure can be subverted by humour and a refusal to accept its strictures. Something to be borne in mind in today's political climate.