Paesol

a type of early Korean prose literature based on the oral folk literature and classical historiography of the 12th through 17th centuries. It was found in individual authors’ collections written in Chinese.

The principal genres of paesol were such short forms as the short story, anecdote, legend, and sketch. The authors depicted only the chief character trait of a person through one or two episodes. The history, everyday life, and mores of the Korean people are reflected in the paesol, distinguished by verisimilitude, vivid descriptions, and topicality. The genre had strong influence on later Korean literature in general and on the establishment of the early Korean novella and novel. The most famous examples of the paesol are Tales Told out of Boredom by Yi Il-lo (1152–1220), Tales by Paek Una by Yi Kyu-bo (1168–1241), and Clusters of Tales by Yoi Chjae by Song Hyon (1439–1504).