이홍기 편 <조선전설집>(1944)에 대하여

Abstract

This paper aims to look into what Joseonjeonseoljip (1944), the anthology of Korean folklore compiled and edited by Lee Hong-gi, consists of and to establish the fact that it is Korea's first Legends anthology written in Korean. A new claim is proposed against the Anthology of Korean Legends (1958) by Choi Sang-su that it is not the first anthology. Although compromising the degree of perfection, the collection is assuredly the first Legends anthology written in Korean and edited by a Korean, characterized by being compiled provincially and being actively quoted by Ko Jeong-ok, the first-generation scholar of oral literature. This book contains 167 stories in total, arranging them under the provincial titles: 10 stories for Gyeonggido, 7 for Chungcheongdo, 6 for Jeollado, 10 for Gyeongsangdo, 8 for Hwanghaedo, 9 for Pyeongando, 5 for Gangwondo, and 11 for Hamgyeongdo. To classify the types of folklore covered, there are 19 stories about geographical names, 8 about rocks, 4 about old monks, 4 about spirits with enmity, 3 about clan's ancestors, 3 about graves, 3 about building a buddhistic temple, 3 about dragons, 3 about apprenticeship, 2 about bodies of water, 2 about fidelity, 2 about buddhistic statue, 2 about wrestling, 2 about gratitude, 1 about fountain, 1 about a hole for rice, 1 about pavilion, 1 about Imjin War, 1 about feng shui, 1 about a faithful dog, 1 about a filial pious son, and the rest. Legends about geography rank first, followed by those about rocks, which account for 28 percent and 12 percent respectively. This is interesting in that the classification is similar to that of Choi Sang-su. When compared with other collections such as the folklore anthology published in North Korea and that of Choi Sang-su, this book introduces more stories. Even the overlapped stories differ in textual terms. First of all, they differ in size as Lee's stories are much longer. Secondly, Lee's stories use more paragraphs. All these suggest that Lee and Choi very likely used different sources when they compiled their materials. The North Korean version turned out to copy virtually everything of Lee's except that such surrealistic, much too fantastic, or superstitious elements as might contradict the North Korean ideology have been eliminated. This is a pioneering study of Lee Hong-gi's Joseonjeonseoljip. Provided what the researcher claims in this study is valid, certain statements about 'the first folklore anthology' ought to be corrected. Additionally, those issues should also be addressed properly such as who on earth Lee Hong-gi the compiler was and what value the stories themselves might retain.