엄흥섭 소설에 나타난 젠더 감성과 그 역학

Abstract

This article examines the strategies used in Eom Heung-Seop’s novels from the early 1930s to address gender hierarchies within the reproductive structure of colonial capitalism. Eom Heung-Seop, who is briefly mentioned in the history of proletarian literature fro being expelled from KAPF due to the 1931 'Kun-Gi’Incident, was actively involved in local literary circles even before joining KAPF. He showed a deep interest in the lives of the colonial masses. This interest continued in his novels published after he joined KAPF, where he explored the relationship between home life, women's labor, and the hierarchical structures of capitalist reproduction. The first noteworthy aspect is the novels that deal with professions involving care labor within the household. Women referred to by various names such as 'Omani' and 'Haengnang-eomeom' were workers bound by modern contractual relationships but were treated in a pre-modern manner by their employers and often regarded as contaminating the purity of the home. Eom Heung-Seop subverts contemporary representations by depicting the infidelity of a married couple and the proletarianization of a nanny. (in 'The Nanny' and 'Jom Meok-neun Dan-cheung'). Secondly, there are novels focusing on female café workers. In the 1930s, café waitresses were seen as symbols of consumer culture and were regarded as sexually immoral beings. For impoverished women, working as a café waitress was often the only path to independence, yet they were sexually defined by the male gaze. Eom Heung-seop illustrates how violent this male perspective can be and overturns the hierarchy between women and men (in 'Pure Love' and 'Sex Worker'). This characteristic of Eom Heung-Seop's novels, which utilizes the theme of sexual desire, became more pronounced towards the late 1930s, leading to criticism as popular fiction. However, in light of the censorship imposed by Imperial Japan, it effectively exposed the hierarchical structure of the colonial capitalism's reproductive system, making it necessary to reevaluate its significance.