만주 체류 시기 백석의 ‘조선적인 것’에 나타난 시대정신

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the characteristics of Joseon-ness and its Zeitgeist that Baekseok searched for during his stay in Manchuria from 1940 to 1945. Baekseok has an identity crisis as a member of colonized nation, which cannot be hidden or forgotten and other-ness as an immigrant to Manchuria China. These crises led him to contemplate what Joseon-ness is in the foreign space, Manchuria. He tried to find out his Joseon-ness while thinking about what national and self identity are and expressed this issue in his poems and agrement. Baekseok tried to look at the problem of loquacity of Koreas who lived in Manchuria through gaze of others. Examining the reason of loquacity without its inception, he criticized Korean people in Manchuria as ‘hungry stray dog.’ which is a self-criticized image for himself. He thought that loquacity of Korean living in Manchuria was a grave issue that would determine the fate of Korean people and it must be solved. He appealed Korean people in Manchuria, “Shut up, think, be angry and be sad,” searching for what Joseon-ness is. He considered ‘deep sadness,’ ‘serious and deep spirit,’ and ‘strolling for idleness’ as Joseon-ness. Here, deep sadness means true love of life and cherish of life, serious and deep spirit, feeling for every day life, and strolling for idleness, healthy practices to select what they want to do regardless of suppression and control of outside power. Baekseok's search for ‘Joseon-ness’ is based on the deep affection on Korean ways of life and also it comes from self-reflection that he as a Korean in Manchuria might lose his identity and be going to wrong way. Beakseok constantly searched for a way to show and testify Koreans's reality in Manchuria and tried to find out Joseon-ness for national liberation. He is common people's poet who tried to show actual Korean life in his poem and express the zeitgeist that lead people to the right way of history.