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A study of Family Romance in Kwangsoo Lee's King Dongmyeong of Love

  • Chunwon Research journal
  • Abbr : Chunwon Research journal
  • 2016, (9), pp.415-436
  • Publisher : Chunwon Research Society
  • Research Area : Humanities > Korean Language and Literature > Korean Literature

Choi Sun-ho 1

1아주대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

While novels can be interpreted in various ways, King Dongmyeong of Love is one that cannot be fully grasped without first understanding its author Kwangsoo Lee. The weight of his social stance as a pro-Japanese and the pressure of being in the middle of a historic turning point compelled Kwangsoo Lee to portray Jumong as an ethically perfect, ideal leader. King Dongmyeong of Love focuses on Jumong’s life story and the process of his development into a king. The passive, pliant nature of a foster child and the power-seeking character of an illegitimate child, appear clearly. Jumong had no choice but to live as a foster child because he had no knowledge of his true father. A foster child displays blind obedience, as he assumes that he does not possess the strength or the will to defy reality. Jumong’s reclusive condition can be linked to the Korean people’s situation during Japan’s colonial rule. The loss of a country leaves its people dejected and defeated, and demands for its people to become pliant foster children amidst insecurity and disorder. Once Jumong perceives himself as a child of the sky-a celestial being-he makes no attempt to hide his characteristics as an illegitimate child and openly pursues power and social success. But rather being portrayed as a violent tyranny, he is recreated into a benevolent and heroic illegitimate child. Through Jumong, Kwangsoo Lee creates a benevolent monarch who cares for and leads his people wisely-in short, a leader that was greatly needed by the Korean people. King Dongmyeong of Love is a work that condenses Kwangsoo Lee’s inner torment about his people. He actively expresses the importance of achieving his people’s wish of founding a new nation through the portrayal of an ideal leader. Kwangsoo Lee recreates the image of the foster and illegitimate child, reflecting the needs of the times, thus providing an opportunity to look back on the true meaning of a nation and its people.

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