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Seo Jeong-ju's Writing and the Political Desire of the Liberation Period. -focused on "Biography of General Kim Jwa-jin" and "Biography of Dr. Lee Seung-man"

Nam Ki-Hyeog 1

1군산대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

In this paper, I tried to identify the political unconsciousness reflectedin Midang Seo Jeong-ju's "Biography of General Kim Jwa-jin" and"Biography of Dr. Lee Seung-man." Midang's writing biographies camefrom the impulse to the narrative, but it is impossible to explain it apartfrom his own existential motives. I focused on the Midang’s anxiety dueto his pro-Japanese career. He wrote two biographies to find a way outof this anxiety. Specifically, "Biography of General Kim Jwa-jin" is forthe political position of his son, Kim Doo-han, and "Biography of Dr. LeeSeung-man." is the result of a political project to consolidate his politicalposition by the idolization. Midang, who chose anti-Communist ideology and nationalism in themidst of the liberation period, wanted to be reunited with the imaginedcommunity by writing thesebiographies and sought to escape from thecrisis of political isolation and condemnation. These two biographies differ in several respects. First of all,“Biography of Kim Jwa-jin” has many elements of amusement becauseMidang followed the composition and style of a previous hero novel. However, "Biography of Dr. Lee Seung-man" has a tendency toemphasize the modern character of Lee. The former is based on theretrospection of family members and people around him, and on thenewspaper reports. So, the writer’s imagination was likely to be involvedin his writing. However, the later, based on the surviving character's oralretrospection and personal records such as diary, tended to describe thestory based on objective facts, excluding the writer's imagination. Midang’s biographical writing itself was a political project linkedtospecific political forces. From Midang’s standpoint, this was a decisivemoment to become an influential figure in the literary circles. However,his experience of joining the nationwas not so consistent. Despite hisobsession to shake off the self-consciousness of pro-Japanese career andhis pride as an anti-Communist, he has always been seized with anxietyand fear. The auditory hallucinosis of the Midang during the Korean Warshows that his identity as a nationalist and a anti-communist ideologywas not so solid.

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