Aahana Swrup
In ‘Pavane,’ Yo-han’s narrative is one of hope and optimism. The story revolves around Kyung-rok and Mi-jung, two department store workers, who are surrounded by the gloom of their own lives. Mi-jung, bullied and othered for her drab physical appearance, has grown accustomed to a life of isolation and seclusion. Inversely, Kyung-rok, a conventionally attractive but eternally jaded young man, has given up on his dreams and has gotten stuck in perpetual monotony. Once these two characters cross paths and get to know each other, with the help of Yo-han, who is happy to play Cupid for the two, their love story begins to unravel. In the film, Yo-han goes on to pen a novel inspired by his and his friends’ lives and calls it “Pavane For a Dead Princess.” This novel and the author behind it hold deeper self-referential ties for the film.
Min-gyu Park’s Pavane for a Dead Princess is a Real Book and the Basis For the Film
The K-drama ‘Pavane,’ originally titled ‘Pabanneu,’ is a loose on-screen adaptation of Min-gyu Park’s 2009 novel ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess.’ The book itself presents a critique of the culture’s obsession with beauty and conventional attractiveness and how it manifests in the lives of the common population. Furthermore, it employs the setting of the department store to highlight the afflictions of modern-day capitalism and consumerism. At the center of the narrative are two individuals, a beautiful but lost man and a woman often deemed to be “the ugliest woman of the century.” Through the story of their connection and their companionship, the book talks about love and the rejection of oppressive societal conventions.
Although the film employs its fair share of divergences born of artistic liberties, it finds a thematic accuracy to the source material. The character of Yo-han and the authorship of his semi-biographical novel an in-universe reference to the same. In the film, the narrative turns its real-life inspiration into a storytelling tool, imbuing it with Yo-han’s storyline. In doing so, it adds a level of meta-reference into the film, enhancing its emotional and thematic values. However, in real life, the book, ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess,’ does not find a similar origin story as its on-screen counterpart. Additionally, the book, set in the 80s, retains many differences from Yo-han’s novel, which presumably finds a contemporary setting.
Yo-han is a Largely Fictitious Author With Limited Ties to Min-gyu Park
For the most part, ‘Pavane’ remains a fictional story with roots in a similarly fictitious literary source material. The film’s ties to reality are limited to its thematic ventures as well as the self-referential inclusion of the titular novel. Nonetheless, while the on-screen book itself has a counterpart in reality, the same isn’t necessarily true for its author. In the film, ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess’ is penned by Yo-han, a department store worker who loves partying, listening to David Bowie, and lamenting about the illusions of love. He has had a tough childhood as the illegitimate child of an absent father who became a beloved actor on the big screen. Moreover, the betrayal of his father directly drove his mother to suicide, leaving him a cynic in matters of love and companionship.
In real life, ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess’ is a fictional novel written by Min-gyu Park, a critically acclaimed Korean author. As far as one can tell, the latter has no direct connection to Yo-han’s character. Having grown up in the small town of Ulsan, South Korea, Park started out his literary career in 2003 with the novels ‘Legend of the World’s Superheroes’ and ‘The Sammi Superstars’ Last Fan Club.’ Over the years, he has also penned many other titles like ‘Castella,’ ‘The Door of Morning,’ and more. As such, the real-life author remains notably distinct from the on-screen writer. On his part, Yo-han finds a sense of realism through his own distinguished characteristics and storylines. Nonetheless, none of these elements has a direct basis in reality, least of all in the life of the real author behind ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess.’
Read More: Pavane Ending and Mid Credits Scene Explained: Is Kyung-rok Dead or Alive?
