Jane Re's Physical Return as a Cosmopolitan Korean
The Physical Return
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York
In Patricia Park's Re Jane, an appropriation of Jane Eyre, Jane Re interviews and works for Ed Farley and Dr. Beth Mazer in Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, New York. When Jane approaches the house, she explains that "646 Thorn Street was the only house on the block with a string of red paper lanterns hung in the doorway. To the left of the door was a hooded bay window, and from where I stood it gave the impression that the house was winking at me," (Park 21). Thorn Street is a nod to the hypo-text Jane Eyre's Thornfield Hall where Mr. Rochester lived.
Flushing, New York
In Patricia Park's Re Jane, an appropriation of Jane Eyre, Jane Re is from Koreatown in Flushing, New York. Within the first chapter "Flushing", Jane says "Home was this northeastern knot of Queens, in the town (if you could call it a town of Flushing" (Park 1). She continues by explaining that the town that was once "contained by a hearty swath of the American population" turned into a Korean town with shops such as "Daedong River Fishmarket," "Chosun Dynasty Auto Body," and "Kumgang Mountain Dry Cleaning" (1).
Busan
Busan is South Korea’s second largest city, located on its southeastern coast. Its logo tag name is ‘Dynamic Busan, City of Tomorrow’. It is also the city where Jane Re’s mother lived as a young child. Many South Koreans feel that the appeal of Busan – indeed, a reason to prefer it over Seoul – comes not from what it offers as a city of tomorrow, but what it offers as a city of yesterday. Busan is a rare piece of territory not captured by the Northern army during the Korean War. Busan came through the 1950s intact, serving during wartime as the capital of the Republic of Korea.
2002 FIFA World Cup
In Chapter 18 of Re Jane, Changhoon gets tickets to the first game of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and takes Jane Re. The 2002 World Cup is remembered as one of the most contentious of all time. It should be remembered as the tournament of the underdog. Senegal beat holders France in the group stage before dumping out Sweden in the Round of 16; Turkey advanced to the semi-finals before losing by a single goal to Brazil; and host nation South Korea went on a run which included disputed knockout triumphs over Italy and Spain.
The White Gaze
Patricia Park’s Re Jane is an adaptation of Jane Eyre that investigates the nuances of living as a hyphenated American, specifically a Korean American in New York. Jane constantly finds herself looking through the eyes of others, a process that often leads her to trying to meet both Eurocentric beauty and cultural standards while in New York, and Korean beauty and cultural standards while in South Korea. This act of seeing herself through the eyes of others extends into Ed, her love interest in this adaptation of the novel.
Manhattan, New York
In general, New York City is composed of five boroughs that include Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Manhattan is a little over 13 miles long and 2 miles wide. This borough's avenues run north and south with streets running east and west. Thoroughfares that are one way are common here. Fifth Avenue has the island divided into east and west sides. This borough is mentioned in Lindner's Jane, when Jane travels to her sister's home in Manhattan (pgs.181-182, Lindner).