17세기 동아시아 연애소설 『호색일대남』에 나타난 불교사상 고찰 ―『구운몽』과의 비교의 시점을 중심으로―

Abstract

It might be meaningful to study “Kuunmong” and “Koushokuichidaiotoko” on a comparative manner, because they were the representative writings of Korea and Japan at 17th century, they are about essential aspects of human beings, and the fact that there had rarely been comparative studies regarding with these writings. “Kuunmong” employs no sensual mode in description of the protagonist’s passionate relationship with his 8 wives. But it reveals the notion out of rigorism used to be found from Buddhism or Confucianism, throughout drawing out eroticism as it is being in nature. “Koushokuichidaiotoko”, on the other hand, employs sensual modes for sure, but not suggestive. What is interesting about this writing is the fact that this writing shows diverse homosexual relationships drawn by spiritual and mental communication without any suggestive description. As a Buddhism writing, “Kuunmong” shows the author’s purpose to play writing by describing the world of Buddhism with pedantic amusement and exaggeration under the explanation of “Diamond Stura”. On the other hand, “Koushokuichidaiotoko” reveals nothing with Buddhism on the surface. But it apparently implies a practical view of Buddhism. This feature provides a kind of suggestion to discussions regarding with Saikaku works and modern light literature. The similarity of those two individual works had not taken place by chance, but a dialectical result of romance stories and Buddhism in the early modern era of the East Asia. Sexual matter is one of essential part of life and so it is supposed to be a matter of inevitable finite existence. Religious thoughts take place when people get to know their limitation. For these reasons, romance and Buddhism are the two pillars of materials, intertwined each other, for writing stories to both of Seopo and Saikaku,