<神斷公案>과 <古今笑叢>의 비교 연구 -화소 비교를 중심으로-

Abstract

Preceding researches consider the fourth and the seventh series of 「Sindan gong'an」 as a work which is based on oral folk tales. If that is the case, there is a question about what was the source of the oral folk tales which the editor referred to. There is a chance that editors of literature folk tales collected and included contemporary oral heritages in their works. On the average, however, they were more likely to reproduce parts from other literature folk tales avaliable in those days. Although there is no conclusive evidence to tell the exact source of 「Sindan gong'an」, provided that it was based on the folk tales which were circulating around 1906, the most likely one is 「Gogeumsochong」. As we all know, 「Gogeum sochong」 has the largest number of volumes (a total of 11) in late Joseon Dynasty, which contains topics for all walks of life to enjoy regardless of gender or age. Besides, it has many stories concerning trials which reflect the society of the time. This probably made them enough materials for the editor to refer to. Thus, this article focuses on identifying the intention and aim of 「Sindan gong'an」 by comparing its motifs with those of 「Gogeumsochong」. As a result, the argument falls into three parts: the improvement of former court system, the abolition of former caste system, the eradication of former religion. These points, which were the aims of 「Hwangsong sinmun」 as well, were supported by introducing some articles from the editorial pages or gossip columns of the newspaper. Eventually, 「Sindan gong'an」is not a work which was produced and serialized for the sake of amusement, but an output which implied transitional inconsistency, negative effects, and agonies. Because the work ought to relate the tales of its own land with humor as well as seriousness, the editor sought to find motifs in the domestic literature folk tales.