Bargains with Unmyeong

In this paper, I examine character and plot in the Korean soap opera Winter Sonata (2002) using the literary critic Bernard J. Paris’s concept of “bargains with fate,” which are designed to obtain reassurance against anxiety, but actually impair dealing with life’s challenges in timely, realistic, effective ways. Such neurotic bargains reinforce their favored solutions, resist disconfirmation based on conflicting evidence, and pervasively influence the behavior of the characters in Winter Sonata. I track the influence of bargains with fate on the characters’ behavior and motivations in a selection of key scenes and turning points in the drama.