본문 바로가기
  • Home
Basic Search

Travel account of the French missionaries in Korea from 1831 to 1886

  • Korean Review of French History
  • Abbr : KRFH
  • 2009, (20), pp.101~130
  • Publisher : KOREAN SOCIETY FOR FRENCH HISTORY
  • Research Area : Humanities > History

김은영 1

1서강대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The travel account has ambiguous status, because it is a pragmatic genre for those who need practical information for the travel, and at the same time, the travel account might be considered as a genre of fantasy for those who will not leave. Above all, the missionaries’ travel accounts might be of use as guide for the new travellers- missionaries. The missionaries wrote about their travels, first of all, for their colleagues who are possible future travellers, in order to share with them their knowledge on the gruelling road and on the new ground to be cultivated. However, this guide for the travellers does not content to give practical information. Especially if the guide is sent to those who are not a part of the future travellers’ group, it might serve rather as collection of wonder stories, since the travellers-missionaries risking to never come back to their own country, send letters to their families or their friends, who expect from the missionaries for wonders of the distant country. A priori, the travel account is not fictional, nevertheless what makes work this genre is not the supposed truth to be expressed by the authors, but the credibility of their descriptions, because it is only the authors-travellers who see ‘really’ things. This scheme is doubtless observed in the travel accounts written by the French missionaries in Korea in the 19th century. However, the aesthetics of the missionary correspondence consists in making the addressees edified. Writing a letter, for the missionaries, is not only an administ- rative necessity but also a spiritual exercise, as it is clearly indicated by the Jesuits. So, for the missionaries, the description’s credibility works, only provided that the description is spiritual. Also, the literary temptation is validated only as stage to make edifying. Consequently, it is not surprising that a more or less identical edifying plot is organized in the missionary travel accounts. To sum up, the missionary literature is a priori non-fictional, whichever the genre is: travel account, edifying story or hagiography. However the missionary literature is conceived with an objective of evangelization whose truth signifies in a particular way. For this evangelistic objective, the travel account is a completely suitable type of writing. It is divided into two obviously independent parts. First half part is structured on a perfectly complete model composed of the tests and a happy end. Second half part is open towards the future by transforming the unknown world into significant world, thanks to the possible evangelization. In this procedure, literary temptation functions. Regarding the travel accounts written by the French missionaries in Korea from 1831 till 1886, the same scheme is observed. Korea could be recognized by the missionaries and theirs readers, provided that it is represented like ground to be evangelized and that the representation of this ground contributes to the edification of the readers and also of the authors themselves.

Statistics

  • 302 Viewed
  • 1 Downloaded

Tools

Issue List

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Basic Search Advanced Search