북한 『아동문학』에 수록된 ‘가사’ 연구

Abstract

Lyrics or "words of a song" are put in the category of lyric poetry in North Korean literature. It is a phenomenon unique to North Korean that lyrics, which are the words of songs sung by the public, are included in a genre of poetic literature. In North Korea, as a matter of fact, "lyrics" are not subordinate to the music of songs but pursue ideological and artistic completion through which they can stand alone as poems without melodies. There are "children's songs," which can be regarded as words of songs for children, in the genre of children's literature, but "lyrics" continued to be written separately and published in Children's Literature. The co-existence of the two genres can be interpreted as the result of the regime's recommendation that there should as various kinds and forms of creation as possible. It can also be interpreted as a measure to maintain the legitimacy of songs with the tradition of anti-Japanese revolutionary literature. Unlike common lyrics for adults, lyrics published in Children's Literature reflect the life and emotions of children both in content and methods of embodiment, which is why they argue "lyrics" for children are special but should be addressed within the category of children's literature. As a genre based on secularity and popularity, "lyrics" are useful to have a direct look at the lives of people in North Korea. They also demand for attention as a genre proper for the guidelines of North Korean literature that is clearly oriented toward the principle of people-ness and mass art theory.