<최척전>의 노정 공간 연구

Abstract

<Choi Cheok Jeon> created by Jo Wee Han in 1621 is a representative work of realism novel in 17th century. The most remarkable characteristic that separates itself from other works written in the same period is that it is based on the form of journey narration. In the journey narration, the character's journey affects the major conflicts and the problem solving. It becomes a dramatic turning point, seeks to enlarge the journey and expresses main theme of the story. Because of this reason, it is important to look at the places in the journey. In <Choi Cheok Jeon>, a journey made throughout 19 years is described in which the main character's problem in the reality who wanders due to the war is described by consistently extending one journey place into another one. <Choi Cheok Jeon>'s journey narration structure can be divided into two major categories. The first one is the external narration structure which repeatedly shows wandering and settling. 'Choi Cheok' and 'Oak Young' is separated and wandered right after marriage because of the war and settles down in Chosun, which is their hometown finally after 19 years later. Choi Cheok goes by land and Oak Young goes over the ocean and arrive at their hometown. The journey through wandering and settling down is the reality of Chosun people who had to wander around because of the war at that time. <Choi Cheok Jeon>'s journey narration is also composed of internal narration structure which contains conflicts between the experience desire and the transcendental choice. The world that the characters in the classic novel lived is the period in which they transcendentally learned to live with the social opinion. In case they go against the social opinion, for example, when they can not make commitment to the role as a loyalist or a virtuous wife, they took granted to be accord with the social rule by the death. However, Choi Cheok and Oak Young tried to get out of this transcendental ideology and accept reality in their experienced world. They also show strong will to life, that is, a desire to find a new life through the experience. The individualistic point of view which tries to get out of the conservative perspective is shown in the journey narration. Based on this journey narration structure, <Choi Cheok Jeon> implies three literature characteristics of journey places. The first one is that it is realizing an unbiased view of a wanderer. Unlike the prior stories in which the main character finishes the story with his individual gall and lament, the characters in <Choi Cheok Jeon> do not surrender in front of the external pressure, actively accepts and resolve the problems and difficulties in reality and show power to move on to the next journey. Among this atmosphere, every one is equal and moves to the world of justice. Secondly, it has literature characteristic that pursues independent stage of journey places. The journey place where Choi Cheok and Oak Young goes through is the war in which every East Asian experiences in the 17th century. Especially when it describes farewell at the 'sea', reunion and return, it gives a sense of dimension like a play stage. It performs as a stage that concludes 20 years of wandering and cures the people's agony who had no choice but to wander in war. It shows dimensional stage which has appropriate visual description and narrations with the dynamic lives of people who lived in that period. Thirdly, the literature characterstic is outstanding in terms of intelligent full-length of narration. <Choi Cheok Jeon> is a novel which tried to make itself a full-length novel accepting realistic war situation as a journey narration. This means that it has intelligence to seek full-length with careful plan. It is based on the ability to connect the fact in the story with other facts, that is, the expansion of story which is possible when the reader remembers what he had read. 'What he had read' means, in other words, a foreshadow. This novel which well developed the function of foreshadow has a characteristics of modern story. This kind of intellectual writing well expresses the intention of writer. <Choi Cheok Jeon> is a realistic novel which offers us literature characteristics based on the journey narration.