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The aim of the article is to compare Anne Frank’s The Diary of Young Girl with two novels, Human Acts and Vegetarian, both by the Korean female author Han Kang. Han Kang, who was born and raised in Gwangju in 1970 and left it in January 1980, could not witness the tragedy of the Gwangju uprising firsthand. Yet she is known as the “Daughter of Gwangju,” who spoke about the tragedy as an adult writing independent memory literature. She admitted to the horrors of the tragedy, saying that she heard the full account of the tragedy in Gwangju as a “story” and has seen it in a “photo book” her father saved two years after the incident. A literary production of such indirect experience culminated in the publication of Human Acts in 2014. Compared to the Vegetarian trilogy, published in 2007, it is difficult to find a link to Human Acts in terms of an epic context. This is because Vegetarian lacks a realistic description of the Gwangju tragedy. Vegetarian, however, is considered in this argument to be an epic extension of Human Acts because it uses the aftermath of visible violence that is homogeneous to the Gwangju tragedy as the motif of the novel. Additionally, it represents the clash with the “daily fascism,” which has spread like chaos through micro-violence.

Film has changed our way of perceiving reality and the world; it substitutes for the traditional realms of humanities, such as literature, history, philosophy and even exceeds the ability of these realms. In addition, as a new medium film reflects human life, often criticizes the society of the period and thus brings about the reformation of reality, and furthermore, it presents an image of the future through the presentation of the past. Therefore, it is difficult to find a contemporary art form that has more influence than film. Film, which deprives the literature of its role, is ironically based on that very literature, so that we can observe the reversal phenomenon at work between film and literary works. We understand that film and literature have influenced each other in the past and at present; however, film shows much more influence on the public than literature in terms of its role and mass appeal. Is there then no limit to so-called ‘trans-film’ that wields absolute power in modern society? Is there an impossibility of a film that plays the role of human studies better than human studies themselves? Can every expression of the literary be materialized in film? Abstract ideas, materialized thought, and the convoluted logic expressed without difficulty in literature cannot be easily shown on film. The more important issue and limits of film lie in its inherent conditions. Film is the only art medium which is born in the background of the industrial society and the capital. For film, economic interests take priority over the esthetic perspective. Therefore, social criticism films, artistic films and experimental films would be marginalized, and the chances of film to show social responsibility and critical consciousness would decline. The limitations of film are due to its commercial nature. The government and cultural authorities ought to suggest an institutional strategy to overcome the limitations of film, which is a way of recognizing reality and expanding social communication. Furthermore, it is also a way of making an authentic ‘trans-film’.

Članak nudi selektivni opis povijesnih i suvremenih narativa i praksi ženske (ne)pomičnosti i izvedbi rodnih formacija utemeljenih na "odsutnosti", u korejskome kontekstu. Striktno feministička analiza odnosi se na djelomičnu reprodukciju društvene nepokretljivosti ili na unaprijed programiranu ograničenu pokretljivost korejske žene unutar oslabljena ali i očuvana patrijarhalnog poretka, kako u življenoj kulturi, tako i u književnosti. Patrijarhalna tlaka ere Jeosona postupno je doživjela kritiku i izokrenute su diskurzne artikulacije "ženskog govora" bile u javnosti dopuštene, pa i poticane, no često tek da bi paradoksalno potvrdile stvarnu nepokretnost ženskih života. Člankom se takva nepokretnost konceptualizira kao kompleksna kartografija izvanjskih i pounutrenih pogleda i izvedbenih formacija što se oblikuju oko aspekta "odsutnosti."