송완순의 아동문학론 연구

Abstract

Song Wansoon was an author of children’s literature through the Japanese colonial period and liberation period. He wrote lots of children’s songs, poems and children’s literary theories about theoretical criticism and practical criticism. Nevertheless, he have not been known till now as a writer of children’s literature. Thus, this paper intends to examine his literary theories of children’s literature. Chronology of his life and chronological listing of the works had been done in advance. Since he had used many pen names, verifying identifications of these various pen names was necessary. Most of these identification had been based on definite evidence, but some had to be relied on rational deduction. Song Wansoon consistently maintained his pursuit on proletarian literature from mid 1920s to until he defected to North Korea. This paper classifies literary criticisms of Song Wansoon in Japanese colonial period into following labels: establishment of theory of children’s literature by argument, Youth Movement and proletariat theory of children’s literature, argument on age of children, and dispute of classification of children’s song and children’s poem. Song Wansoon followed line of ‘Joseon munhak geonseol bonbu’(hereafter, ‘mungeon’) and ‘Joseon munhakga dongmaeng’ (hereafter, ‘dongmaeng’) in period of liberation. He was first engaged in ‘Joseon proletariat munhak dongmaeng’(hereafter, ‘munmaeng’), but moved to follow line of ‘mungeon’ and ‘dongmaeng’ after he decided himself against separation of organization. In this period, his ideological background is based on August These(Contemporary Situation and Our Duty) of Park Heonyeong. Due to the fact that goal of children’s literature in period of liberation is closely linked with establishment of new nation, it is natural for contemporary children’s literature to be not separated with political ideology. Song Wansoon’s literary theory on children’s literature also focuses on liquidation of feudality and vestiges of Japanese imperialism as in accordance with his political belief. When historically reviewing children’s literature in Japanese colonial era, he had broadly divided literatures in two classification: angelic children’s literature, and progressive(class- conscious) children’s literature. The classification then subdivides again as ‘sentimental angelicism’ which regards children as sentimental angels like those of Bang Jeonghwan, and as ‘optimistic angelicism’ which regards children as optimistic angels like those of Yoon Seokjoong. Song Wansoon estimates ‘optimistic angelicism’ to be worse. The remaining issue is to study Song Wansoon synthetically by linking work of children’s literature and its criticism. General literary activities are not inconsiderable, thus examination on these works is thought to be of necessity. It is expected to be of help in study on children’s literature, if his writings on the popular arts, the peasant arts, and on KAPF is closely examined.