Johnathan Guo: "Dear Bridget Smith: Classic Korean Pop Music"

Classic Korean Pop Music

by

Johnathan Guo

If you have ever seen a Korean Pop (KPOP) music video, you are probably aware that dance plays a large part in the video.  In the past couple of years, Korean acts such as Miss A, EXO, and Girls’ Generation have risen in popularity.  Even if you’re not a fan of KPOP like me, take a quick glance at a video on Youtube and you’ll notice right away that Korean singers have mastered singing and dancing at the same time. 

If you’re a fan like me, you’ve probably wondered to yourself at some point why KPOP is so appealing.  If you haven’t before, take a moment to think about it.  Could it be the stunning voices, the intense choreography, or even the quirky costuming.  Personally, I think it’s a combination of all three.  These elements have become integral to the overall appearance of a KPOP video.  Just how these elements create a video, science fiction and fantasy (SFF) novels are composed of a variety of elements: plot, theme, characters, setting, etc.  If you’ve ever read a SFF novel, you’ve probably identified common stereotypes.  Think of it like this:  dance is to KPOP as robots are to science fiction. It’s not necessary but it makes a book more memorable.

            The first time I watched Red Velvet’s Dumb Dumb music video, the entire video was a blur.  To be completely honest, I couldn’t even differentiate between the group’s five members.  I watched it again… and again… and again and I noticed something.  The more times I watched it, the more I noticed the individual elements.  When we were reading Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, I was pleased with how many stereotypes I could identify throughout the story.  Gwyneth Jones identified many of these stereotypes in her theory reading, “The icons of science fiction”.

While I don’t believe Bradbury overemphasized one element more than another, the presence of each individual element (rockets, spaceships, robots, aliens, etc.) created the overall “video” I sought.  I don’t think that these “classic” elements are necessary in a work of science fiction, but I do believe that they definitely help introduce the genre to a wider audience, since people will be able to easily identify these classic elements. 

Let’s take a look at Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Stardust boasts all of the conventional character and plot archetypes you would expect in a work of fantasy.  There’s the lovelorn hero, the damsel in distress, and the villainous witch.  Add a magical setting mixed with medieval elements and you’ve got yourself an easily identifiable fantasy novel.  Unlike The Martian Chronicles, the readability of Stardust relies heavily upon the presence of these classic elements.  These fantastical elements have been masterfully blended and work cohesively.  If it weren’t for the occasional sex scene, I think that the inclusion of these classic elements would make it easier for a younger audience to read. 

I realize the purpose of writing science fiction and fantasy isn’t to make it easier for us as the readers, but to be honest, I quite like easier reading. As my peers and I become preoccupied by our academic workloads and extracurricular activities, we rarely take the time to read for pleasure (I realize I’m not in college, but it still applies).  I can’t speak for every young reader, but I do know that the familiarity of the classic elements in a novel appeals to me because they take me less effort to comprehend. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy being challenged by what I read, but when being busy really cuts down on my desire to seek out challenging, unconventional SFF. The classic elements of science fiction and fantasy make them unique compared to other genres of literature just like how KPOP is unique in the music scene.  Both have their own audiences, which I believe is in part aided by their “classic” elements. I won’t shy away from a challenging book or a strange KPOP video, but being similar to what I’m used to definitely helps attract my interest.