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Political Nature of Popular Novels, Hinted from Narrative Attributes of Limwhajungyoen(林花鄭延)

Hur, Soonwoo 1

1부산대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study aims for examining Limwhajungyoen, a full-length classic novel written in Korean, using the notion of ‘political nature’, which is frequently defined as a movement that stands against the hegemony of dominant culture and identity, causes crack in ‘public security(reigning)’, thus turns the process of equality into an actuality. The reason this study now puts its focus on political nature of Limwhajungyoen despite a number of preceding studies the key words of which were politics-related notions like ‘riot control(靖難變)’, ‘meritorious families(閥閱)’, and ‘solidarity of families(家門連帶)’, is that the existing politics-related arguments were made mainly with male characters on the center of considerations. This made it plausible that if we equaly focus on the acts and experience of the other half of population, we may draw a new interpretation related with ‘political nature’. Another reason of choosing Limwhajungyoen as subject of examination is that the novel is a piece of popular literature which is in contrast with gentry literature, and was read in around 19th century, late Joseon Dynasty period. I wondered what the ‘Politique de la Litterature’ would be like, seen from a popular novel that sets family and politics as its main subject in 19th century, when once-common consciousness of family of gentry class was on its decline and the territory of full-length novels and the readers also started to shrink. To find the answer, I first examined the novel while concentrating upon its political attributes ― mainly consciousness of family and history ―, whereupon the consciousness of family or that of history discovered in the novel was as much or somewhat less than those discovered in full-length Korean novels read earlier. Instead it is identified that Limwhajungyoen uses its characters who roam ― or play their part ― out of their homes to expand the stage of the story, thus draw various events in the society as well as those in the families, satirize them, and shows its political nature that creates a crack in the firmly androcentric and upper-class-centered society. And through the wandering characters who don’t make their way home in the end, this novel secures its own significance by showing a narration of escape and expansion ― on the hidden side of its narration which seems to aim at feudal system or existing tradition ― that aims at a world out of home with non-gentry sensibility. This characteristic is also meaningful in that it shows a contrast with a characteristic of new-style novels which includes expansion to outdoors yet ultimately boils down to a narration of return.

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