신여성의 근대적 글쓰기 -『 여자계』의 여성담론을 중심으로

Abstract

The objective of this article is to probe the characteristics of writing in women's discourse in YeoJaGee, which is regarded as 'the first women's magazine'. YeoJaGee, which was created in Tokyo, Japan in 1917 by a group of Korean female students living in Japan, was a magazine edited and published by women on their own. This article pays attention to the process which the female students followed to publish the magazine. It is a clue to exploring female intellectuals' awareness of writing to probe the process of female writers' securing space for writing in 'equal status to men'. By checking the style of writing which the female writers aimed for in the process of publishing the magazine, we can contemplate the identity of the female writers who chose the style and purpose of publishing the magazine. The later part earnestly analyzed the characteristics of writing in women's discourse in YeoJaGee. The Korean female students studying in Japan noticed women's problems and agonized over how to solve the problems through the magazine YeoJaGee, exploring discourses which were reflecting female society of the time. The female writers recognized themselves as 'main agents of writing' and 'intellectuals', but at the same time did not abandoned their identity of 'Choson's women'. They perceived women's problems with a sense of fellowship among 'women', which enabled them to use colloquial expressions and give internal psychological descriptions when explaining various circumstances related to women's problems. These characteristics of writing in women's discourse reappeared in the female writers' fictions as well. The Korean female students studying in Japan portrayed women's conflicts and frustrations and also showed the process of finding a way to self-realization by projecting their inner consciousness onto their works. This article intends to declare the significance of women's writing and literature by probing the characteristics of style in women's writing. Through this process, one can identify the YeoJaGee's significance in the history of literature which is recognized as 'the first women's magazine'.