박지원 문예론에 나타난 ‘意’의 의미에 대하여-법고창신론의 재음미와 관련하여-

Abstract

This paper aims to explain the meaning of ŭi(意, mind) in Pak Chi-wŏn’s literary theory and to reinterpret his Pŏpkoch’angsillon(法古創新論, theory on ‘respecting the old and creating the new’). The result is as follows: plagiarizing classics result in distortion of ŭi, which indicates that keeping ŭi undistorted is the core condition of successful writing. Such ŭi transcends the dimension of subjective emotions and includes object-object, but subjective idealism cannot properly explain such inclusion of object-object in ŭi, for in Pak Chi-wŏn’s thought proper standards of perception is never neglected. Following a recent study which suggests to understand Pak Chi-wŏn’s concept of che(際, betweenness) as the point of action where subjective mind begins to interact with the outer world in the light of Yangming school of thought, his concept of ŭi should be defined as the mind of an author existing only in such an interaction and in mutual establishment of subjective mind and objective realm. To be faithful to such ŭi also becomes the core task in Pŏpkoch’angsillon. When emulating classics, it is essential that one learns ŭi of classics, which leads the present writer to focus on his own ŭi as the classical writers did. And when creating the new, it is demanded that one avoids contrived novelty and stays true to one’s original idea, which is thought to unintentionally concur with the spirit of classics.