具康 <교쥬별곡(交州別曲)>의 특징과 의미

Abstract

This paper examines "Gyojubyeolgok(交州別曲)", which deals with the experiences of Gu Gang(具康, 1757-1832) when he traveled to Hoeyang(淮陽), Gangwon-do(江原道), from 1819 to the following year. At its start, "Gyojubyeolgok" uses the expressions and plot development style of previous travel gasa, but overall, it is not conspicuously an account of his travels. His experiences in Hoeyang, the destination of his journey, are described as an object of reflection, and the closing of the work points toward his returning home after resigning from his post. This paper sought to shed light on these characteristic aspects of "Gyojubyeolgok" and their meaning. It was argued that Gu Gang's raising of issues with the Geumgang-san(金剛山) travelogue culture through an understanding of the problems of reality and his depiction of introspection and self-examination demanded attention and evaluation. The core of "Gyojubyeolgok" lies more in the author turning his ear toward his own inner voice than in conveying images of the outside world. Along these lines, the inclination toward returning home at the end of the work is significant as a conclusion to his self-examination. In the period when "Gyojubyeolgok" was written, so-called "late-period symptoms" such as strengthening of the written nature, expansion of the narrative nature, and lengthening of the text were changing the gasa genre. Unlike the contemporary trends, which leaned toward the didactic and the narrative, this work was inclined toward lyric sentiments. "Gyojubyeolgok" focused not on a realistic recreation of the real world, but on an examination of the ontological meaning found within reality. While the contemporary trend was to vividly and thoroughly depict everything one experienced, or to make a work entertaining in a narrative context, Gu Gang held fast to this thread of lyricism that dealt with self-examination.