본문 바로가기
  • Home
Basic Search

The Public Law of all Nations and Foreign Recognition in Tears of Blood

  • Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • 2019, 76(2), pp.175-204
  • DOI : 10.17326/jhsnu.76.2.201905.175
  • Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : April 10, 2019
  • Accepted : May 9, 2019
  • Published : May 31, 2019

KyungJae Lee 1

1숭실대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

It has been mentioned that, in Tears of Blood, the consciousness of the one-sided pro-Japanese dynasties was revealed in the process of the shaping of the Sino-Japanese War. The true reason for the pro-Japanese attitude is in the public law of all nations, compliance to which determines on which side of the dichotomy between civilization and barbarism one belongs to. Lee In-jik’s emphasis is not on the support of individual countries such as Japan and China, but on the division between the world that follows the laws of nation states and the world that does not. It is therefore reasonable to reassess the scene where Ok Ryun is hit by the bullets of the Japanese army rather than the Qing army; this is not a crack in the text, as previously believed, since from the aspect of the public law of all nations, it is reasonable to say that Qing is the poison applied to the bullet. In 1882, the Qing Dynasty was portrayed as an irrelevant entity to the entire the public law of all nations. This is related to the denying of the sovereignty of Joseon. Against this backdrop, the Joseon government tried to resist the system of rule by using the public law of all nations. At the time when the Sino-Japanese War broke out, ignorance or misuse of the Qing Dynasty’s civilization law was the most negative aspect compared to Japan, and it was the main focus of anti-Qing sentiment. However, at the time that the work was created, the recognition of Japan as a nation that did not observe the public law of all nations was spread widely. In Tears of Blood, there is a scene in which Japanese criticize Japan’s problems in relation to the nation’s public works law through the negative image of the Japanese who embodied Japan’s protectionism at the time of the Treaty of Friendship. However, it seems that Lee In-jik never perceived the fundamental limitations of the nation-state law, that is, the logic that supports the imperialism of the great power. This can be seen through the formation of utopia in the space of the United States. The reason why the United States is so idealized is also inextricably linked with the public law of all nations. At the entrance to the contact with the United States is the Chinese Kangyuwai (康有爲), who through the whole book 『實理公法全 書』 raised national law to the level of natural reason and claimed the equality and independence of mankind. The space of the United States where Kangyuwai is working with power naturally has a status of being a true example of the public law of all nations. Lee In-jik’s Tears of Blood is a work that shows a blind intention toward modernity which is symbolized by the nation-state, and should not merely be approached as a pro-Japanese novel.

Statistics

  • 1,171 Viewed
  • 317 Downloaded

Tools

Issue List

Citation status

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

Basic Search Advanced Search