무속적 해원 공간으로서의 섬 －이청준 『신화를 삼킨 섬』을 중심으로－

Abstract

In the text, I tried to argue that the tragedy of ‘the 4ㆍ3 Incident’(the Jeju 4ㆍ3 Uprising and Massacre) originated from the island's self-sustaining limitations, and that overcoming this relies on a shamanic method of liberation that perpetuates memories. The island's natural limitations refer to a situation in which it is divided by the mainland's desire for domination and has no choice but to fight a proxy war. Representative examples of this include the conflict between Kim Tong-jeong and Kim Bang-gyeong in the Goryeo Dynasty, and the conflict between left and right in the modern era. In the work, the conflict between Cheongjukhoe and Haneolhoe surrounding the 4ㆍ3 Incident’s victims forms one axis of the narrative. These confrontations and conflicts develop in a more intense form than on the mainland due to the environmental characteristics and isolation and disconnection of island spaces. The closed nature of the island space also affects the gods seated in each village, and most of these are gods who were defeated and exiled from the transcendental world or the mainland. These spirits sit in the village by the choice of the islanders, who are in the same situation as themselves. The islanders, including ‘Simbang’(Jeju’s shaman), who worships God, try to escape the island, but in the end they do not leave the island space. The reason is that, while accepting the island's self-sustaining limitations, there is a third area that is beyond the power of the mainland government or that disrupts its power. In this area, the methodology of total denial is used, and the structure of power/resistance created by the land ministry's plan is neutralized. That space is a place where Mithos characteristics, which are distinct from Logos characteristics, are demonstrated and is an area where myth is internalized. Here, the liberation (or salvation) of the islanders is achieved through a shamanic ritual called ‘Gut’, and the (performative) truth of the 4ㆍ3 Incident is revealed. ‘Puri’ embodies both, and by restoring the island’s unique mythology as a way of remembering through unraveling, it goes beyond the logos world – the desire for domination by the landowners.