Formation of the Modern Detective Novel and the Imagination of Crime Narratives in Korea and China in the Early 20th Century

Abstract

The first modern detective novels created in Korea and China were Haejo Yi's Twin Jade Flutes and Simian Lu's Chinese Female Detectives, respectively. Both introduce female detectives and present new narratives distinct from pre-existing family narratives or patriarchal ideology. These texts were followed by Lengfo Wang's Chuna shi, a novelization of an unsolved murder case in China that reflected a new vision and attitude toward dealing with female crimes in the modern transitional period. Its Korean translation, Geonsik Yang's Suspicious Scandal, is a pioneering case of quick translation of a Chinese popular novel. However, because the detective's narrative was abridged in the translation in colonial Korea, the criticism of patriarchy and political aspirations in the original work could not but be eliminated. Through these novels, historical elements and changes in imagination can be reevaluated from a new perspective, thereby gaining insight into the popularization of modern detective novels in East Asia in the early twentieth century.