Abstract

Until today, the term 'Sunjeong Manhwa' is used broadly. However, the definition of the term is not so clear, and studies on the characteristics of it are not so common. The researcher premise one of the major reason is the standard from 1950s has not changed until now, for more than sixty years. In other words, researches before roughly bound different genres together as in the term ‘Sunjeong Manhwa’, so that it was difficult to figure characteristics out and define what the Sunjeong Manhwa is. Thus, divide all of the historical products we called as Sunjeong Manhwa by their features and redefine one of them as romance comics. The researcher believe by following this and review the history, the properness of genre separation can be understood. The researcher categorized Sunjeong manhwa in three different genres. They are Family-Sunjeong manhwa(1957-1962), Girlish manhwa(1963-1976) and Sentimental manhwa(1977-present), and the first category shows closest to the Sunjeong Manhwa in dictionary definition. That makes it can be called Sunjeong manhwa, but the range of it was families in general, so it can also be called as Family manhwa, or Family-Sunjeong manhwa. Second one is Girlish manhwa and it is influenced by Japanese Shojo Manga in 1960s. Third one is the very genre that we normally think the typical Sunejong Manhwa. The researcher categorized the last genre as Sentimental manhwa instead of Sunjeong manhwa. The researcher apprehends intrinsic features of this text are sensitive story, flowing fanciness and purposeful theatricality and discarded diverse factors that other studies are insisting (such as sex of both readers and main characters). These characteristics are, unless there are no obstacles from environmental factors, helps to build an ‘Sentimental Scene’, a three dimensions mental model. Sentimental scene is a process that readers drawing a three-dimensional image in their mind while reading or after reading the text. It is absolutely personal and abstract image. This model forms more vivid and lasts longer in image description, Sentimental description than textual and thesis. The Sentimentality, fanciness and theatricality are essential factors for constructing the Sentimental scene. The textual feature of Sentimental manhwa is important, but the readers who can properly make the image and the environment can have an influence on construction of Sentimental scene. This study arranges some confusion on existing studies about Sunjeong manhwa defines textual features of the genre and has a way to give explanation for contrasting appraisal for the genre. There is a limit in generalization and universalization since bring readers and reading into study.