한국 현대시의 리듬 이론 연구－해방 이후에서 1950년대까지 (1) - 김용호와 조지훈의 시론을 중심으로

Abstract

From the post-liberation period to the 1950s, the theory of rhythm appeared in various theories of poetry and single volumes of poetic creation. Kim Yong-Ho divides rhythm into ‘external rhythm’ and ‘inherent rhythm,’ defining these as two forms of prosody. Rhymed poetry, or formal poetry, possesses an external rhythm, characterized as ‘a flow of time with regular intervals,’ involving the regular repetition of ‘beats’ and ‘accents.’ Free verse, on the other hand, does not have a formal rhythm but rather embodies an inherent rhythm, also known as ‘inner rhythm.’ This inner rhythm is the ‘breath and order’ of the poem, and free verse is established on the basis of this inner rhythm. Rhythms differ by genre: formal poetry (rhymed poetry) follows external rhythm, free verse and prose poetry follow inner rhythm, while prose-novel is rhythmless. Prose-novel and free verse-prose poetry are fundamentally distinguished by the presence or absence of inner rhythm. The inner rhythm of free verse-prose poetry is dominated by ‘musical meter,’ defined as the ‘accent and sentiment of language’ and ‘rhyme as sentiment.’ Cho Ji-Hoon does not distinguish prose from poetry based on ‘formal rhythm.’ The ‘harmony’ of language, comprising ‘musical meter and tone,’ differentiates poetry from other forms of literature and has a formal character. However, the harmony of poetry is not limited to formal poetry; it can be ‘modulated’ or ‘disrupted’ in response to the demands of the era, appearing in free verse or prose poetry as well. Cho Ji-Hoon’s division of poetic rhythm into ‘external rhythm’ and ‘inner rhythm’ is inevitable in poetry due to this harmony. ‘Inner rhythm’ is merely a ‘dilution’ of external rhythm as it transitions from formal poetry to free verse to prose poetry, representing a freeing of the ‘metric pattern’ and ‘music’ of verse. Poetry (formal-free-prose poetry) is all based on the ‘verse’s spirit, ‘taking’ musical meter and tone’ as essential forms. The presence or absence of ‘musical meter and tone’ also distinguishes poetry from prose. For free verse or prose poetry to be considered ‘poetry,’ it must necessarily have ‘musical meter and tone.’ Although the ‘degree’ of ‘musical meter and tone’ varies in formal-free-prose poetry, these elements are universally present in poetry and, along with the ‘verse’s spirit,’ make poetry poetic.