Journal of Publishing and Criticism
JPC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.87-96
Print ISSN: 3107-0892; Online ISSN: 3107-0906
Journal homepage: https://www.jpcjournal.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64058/jpc260109maivh
孙佳宇（Sun Jiayu）,郭紫薇（ Florence Kuek）
摘要：本研究以韩江《素食者》三部曲为对象，结合诺斯罗普.弗莱的神话—原型批评理论，参照伊卡洛斯神话，提出“伊卡洛斯式暴力”概念，探讨英惠所经历的暴力及其叙事进程。首先，在《素食者》中，英惠在婚姻与社会规训下压抑自身不安，并通过拒食肉类来表现；这一状态对应伊卡洛斯在父亲责备下被困囚笼的不安，体现出家庭与社会规训对反叛者的压制。其次，在《胎记》中，围绕“绘画”与“裸身”描写，揭示其短暂的“伊卡洛斯式飞翔”实为被凝视与异化的幻觉自由。最后，通过《树火》中英惠“树木化”的结局，结合弗莱对悲剧“献祭”的阐释，论述其自我毁灭是伊卡洛斯式坠落的悲剧性超越，由此，英惠的暴力叙事悲剧构成了对伊卡洛斯神话叙事模式的现代性重构。因此，本研究认为，小说中的“伊卡洛斯式暴力”既表现为外部压迫，也内在于英慧对纯粹自由的极端追求。将弗莱的原型批评方法运用于三部曲结构分析，有助于理解韩江小说中反抗与毁灭的悖论，并为当代东亚文学的悲剧意识与身体政治研究提供新的阐释路径。
关键词：《素食者》；神话-原型批评；伊卡洛斯；暴力；韩江
作者简介：孙佳宇，马来亚大学中文系硕士研究生,电邮：768966255@qq.com。郭紫薇（通讯作者），马来亚大学中文系荣誉文学士，马来亚大学文学硕士，美国东南浸信会神学院圣经语言研究硕士，马来亚大学哲学博士。研究领域为马华文学，世界华人文学，教育学。电邮：florencekuek@um.edu.my。
Title: A Myth–Archetypal Analysis of Icarus-Like Violence in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
Abstract: This study examines Han Kang’s The Vegetarian trilogy through Northrop Frye’s myth–archetypal criticism and proposes the concept of “Icarus-like violence” with reference to the myth of Icarus. It analyzes the forms of violence Yeong-hye experiences and their narrative progression. In The Vegetarian, Yeong-hye suppresses anxiety under marital and social discipline, articulated through her refusal of meat, corresponding to Icarus’s confinement under paternal authority and revealing repression imposed on transgression. In Mongolian Mark, representations of painting and nudity expose a brief “Icarus-like flight” structured by gaze and objectification rather than freedom. In Flaming Trees, Yeong-hye’s arboreal transformation is read, in light of Frye’s concept of tragic sacrifice, as a self-destructive form of Icarus-like fall. The study argues that Icarus-like violence functions both as external oppression and as internalized violence embedded in Yeong-hye’s extreme pursuit of pure freedom. Applying archetypal criticism to the trilogy’s structure clarifies the paradox of resistance and destruction in Han Kang’s fiction and offers a new perspective on tragic consciousness and body politics in contemporary East Asian literature.
Keywords: The Vegetarian, Myth–Archetypal Criticism, Icarus, Violence, Han Kang.
Author Biographies: Sun Jiayu, a master candidate at Department of Chinese Studies,University Malaya. E-mail: 768966255@qq.com. Florence Kuek (Corresponding Author)，a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Studies from the University of Malaya, a Master of Arts from the University of Malaya, a Master of Biblical Language Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (USA), and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Malaya. Her research areas include Malaysian Chinese Literature, World Chinese Literature, and Education. E-mail: florencekuek@um.edu.my.
Received: 07 Mar 2026 / Revised: 08 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 28 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
