Greenroom

The Tale of Janghwa and Hongryeon

Anonymous, 1800 · Original title: 장화홍련전

In Cheolsan, Pyeongan Province, the local official Bae Murong and his wife long for a child, until a dream of a heavenly flower brings them two daughters, Janghwa and Hongryeon. The sisters grow up beautiful, clever and devoted to each other. But when their mother dies and their father brings home a new wife to give him a son, the house begins to change.

Conflict between a stepmother and her stepdaughtersGreed over sons, heirs and property in a patriarchal familyThe deep bond between two sistersGood rewarded and evil punished

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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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  • 장화 Janghwa The elder sister: gentle, dutiful and fiercely protective of Hongryeon. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 홍련 Hongryeon The younger sister, who cannot imagine life without Janghwa. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 배 좌수 Bae Jwasu The sisters' father, a respected local official who longs for a son. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 허씨 Lady Heo Bae Jwasu's second wife, who resents her stepdaughters. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 장쇠 Jangsoe Lady Heo's eldest son, who does whatever his mother tells him. Appears in part 1
  • 정동호 Jeong Dongho First appears in part 4. Read up to part 3 to meet them without spoilers.

Part by part

Part 1

처음 ~ 허씨가 자매를 해칠 마음을 품기까지

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Part 2

허씨가 장화에게 누명을 씌우고 ~ 장화가 연못에 몸을 던지기까지

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Part 3

홍련이 언니의 일을 알게 되어 ~ 철산 고을이 황폐해지기까지

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Part 4

정동호가 철산 부사로 부임하여 ~ 끝

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