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This study aimed to examine the relationship between classical novels and web novels in the context of the changing interest in and awareness of the latter. Due to the difficulties of directly comparing classical novels and web novels, we considered how classical novels could be utilized in web novels. This study sought to predict the methods by which classical novels survive in web novels and to discover unique and distinct aspects of their adaptation as web novels. The web novel selected for this study is “Tiger Eosa Shakes Joseon.” Serialized from February 10, 2021, to February 8, 2022, on Naver and Kakao Page, this work achieved success as a web novel through storytelling that relied on classical novel techniques, indicating a positive outlook for web novel creation utilizing classical novels. First, classical novels are utilized in web novels regarding the origin and formation of the work. Additionally, elements such as the author and readership of classical novels and their consumption methods are observed in web novels. Lending libraries, novelists, critics, and other aspects of novel culture offer possibilities for this type of adaptation. Next, depending on the genre of web novels, classical novels are regarded from the perspective of historical facts or tales, with attention to the historical events reflected in classical novels. As classical novels are communicated in the realm of “old stories” such as fables or fairy tales, characters from classical novels form relationships with characters from web novels, leading to a narrative progression different from that of classical novels, with changes in the appearance, role, and function. Moreover, classical novels are newly created within web novels through the reiteration of familiar characteristics, such as structure, motifs, and themes. This is due to the multimodality pursued by web novels, in which the genre of classical novels is continuously reproduced with slight differences. Finally, the diverse utilization of classical novels in the web novel “Tiger Eosa Shakes Joseon” fundamentally stems from the capabilities of the author.
Bo-young Seo (Thu,) studied this question.