Greenroom

The Tale of the Cock Pheasant

Anonymous, 1800 · Original title: 장끼전

In the dead of winter, with snow covering every hill, a cock pheasant and his hen lead their many chicks across the fields in search of food. They are starving, and the proud cock pheasant is sure he knows best. A talking-animal fable in which the birds argue, boast and reason just like people.

Satire of a proud head of the family who will not listenThe hard lives of starving common peopleHuman society seen through an animal fableHumour and pathos side by side

About this work (Wikipedia) ↗

Public domain: an anonymous classic from around 1800. Everything written here is our own; no modern edition is copied.

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Characters

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  • 장끼 The Cock Pheasant A proud cock pheasant who is sure he is always right. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 까투리 The Hen Pheasant A wise, careful hen pheasant raising many chicks through a hungry winter. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 탁 첨지 Old Tak First appears in part 2. Read up to part 1 to meet them without spoilers.
  • 갈까마귀 The Jackdaw First appears in part 3. Read up to part 2 to meet them without spoilers.
  • 부엉이 The Owl First appears in part 3. Read up to part 2 to meet them without spoilers.
  • 홀아비 장끼 The Widowed Cock Pheasant First appears in part 3. Read up to part 2 to meet them without spoilers.

Part by part

Part 1

처음 ~ 장끼가 덫에 걸리기까지

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Part 2

덫에 걸린 장끼의 넋두리 ~ 장례를 치르기까지

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Part 3

조문 온 새들의 청혼 ~ 끝

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