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Reconsidering the Political Element of Sinsosol (New Novels): Focusing on Hyeoruinu (Tears of Blood) and Eunsegye (Silver World)

  • Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • 2026, 83(1), pp.343~375
  • Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : January 12, 2026
  • Accepted : February 9, 2026
  • Published : February 28, 2026

Jung, Byung Sul 1

1서울대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

From the inception, sinsosol (new novels) were touted as political novels, and the connection to Japanese political novels was discussed in early research, so the political element has long been a subject of attention. Kim Yun-sik’s representative paper on this topic definitively characterized sinsosol as an “deficiency of the political novel,” which guided the direction of subsequent research. While it did not specifically enumerate what was lacking compared to Japanese political novels, it was generally understood that sinsosol omitted political topics such as political parties, parliaments, and civil rights, which were covered in Japanese political novels. Other subsequent studies also used terms like “omission,” “invisibility,” and “similarity” to describe the political element of sinsosol. This paper critically examines the opinion that sinsosol lack political element. The comparison points used to determine this lack were the Japanese political novels and their underlying political situations. I argue that prior research, including Kim Yun-sik’s, misunderstood the Japanese political situation and overestimated its level. For example, Kim Yun-sik described the Meiji New Government as implementing a constitutional monarchy from the start, but this was a result achieved later through civil rights movements. Even then, it did not become a proper constitutional monarchy. Furthermore, while some Japanese political novels dealt with civil rights, many works focused predominantly on national rights (independence, nation-building, creating a wealthy and powerful nation), and political novels ultimately converged on the theme of national sovereignty. Examining the political element of sinsosol, focusing on Yi Injik’s Hyeoruinu and Eunsegye, reveals that the works’ backgrounds are directly related to politics, such as war and the exploitation of the populace. Furthermore, the narrators or characters speak of new politics. The depiction of contemporary reality and the setting of the United States as a destination for study abroad also demonstrate the political element of sinsosol. Because these works are not like Japanese political novels that depict the rise and fall of nations or feature politicians debating civil rights, they might be evaluated as lacking political content from a modern perspective. However, considering the reality Korea faced at the time, as well as the previous political situation, sinsosol can be said to have the maximum level of political content possible for that era.

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