Portraits of Femininity In Korean Medieval Literature: Stories from Im Pang’s Ch’ŏnyerok Miriam Löwensteinová and Sunbee Yu Abstract This article deals with the most frequent character types depicting models of womanhood in medieval Korean literature. However, Korean literature does not offer only didactic characters, even though they were preferred and are prevalent as a result. In literati genres intended for entertainment, especially p’aesŏl and yadam literature, the spectrum of characters is broader. We document this fact in an analysis of the Ch’ŏnyerok, an anthology of stories written by Im Pang in the early eighteenth century. In it women are surprisingly dominant; their activities even compensate for their male counterparts’ passivity and incompetence. Nevertheless, these narratives accept the established Confucian models for their protagonists. Therefore, we also aim to discuss the most popular female character types contained in the stories of the Ch’ŏnyerok in the context of kodae sosŏl and p’ansori tales that came later. Some present caricatures of the era, whereas others present everlasting ideals. Two stories about women demonstrate absolute female dominance; traditional gender roles are reversed and the female characters mock male vanity. Keywords Korean medieval literature, Im Pang, Ch’ŏnyerok, p’aesŏl, yadam, models, biographies, women, ideal Early Models of Womanhood and Paragons of Female Virtues During the last century Korea has been considered a country with clearly defined gender roles, where society is dominated by men and oppressed women have no opportunities to participate in public life. Studies focused on Chosŏn 朝鮮 (1392– 1910) society speak about the discrimination of women in the pre-modern and modern eras. This misrepresentative and overly simplistic view reflects neither pre-Chosŏn Korea nor the prevalent reality of that time. It is based on the prescriptions and models contained in manuals, which are not necessarily true mirrors of gender roles. This image of Korean society also comes from popular