여성영웅소설에 나타난 남성인물 형상과 의미-<이현경전>의 남성인물을 중심으로-

Abstract

In the texts under this study, the protagonist is a good person with modern consciousness, while the male character is a bad person and one-sided antagonist of the female hero. This study aims to review the texts through a kaleidoscopic vision, demonstrating hitherto latent implications and observations. With LeeHyeonGyeongJeon, a female hero novel, I attempt to seek the portrayal of the male figure by examining how it is shaped in the narrative. In the first half of the narrative of LeeHyeonGyeongJeon, the male characters appear as observers who observe Lee Hyun-kyung, the female protagonist, and also as a supporter and understanding character who encourages Lee Hyun-kyung's heroism. However, in the middle and second half of the narrative of LeeHyeonGyeongJeon, where marital disorders and family affairs become the main focus, the portrayal departs from earlier generosity. The male becomes an advocate of the male-centered patriarchal system, which restricts the lives of women like Lee Hyun-kyung, treats women horribly, and does not have a pricking conscience. Conversely, as a patriarchal man, after realizing his mistake in trying to suppress his partner wife, he transforms into a companion like a friend. Through this trajectory, we can find the following meanings. In LeeHyeonGyeongJeon, patriarchal system violence inflicted upon women exists through men as agents of insensitivity and inconsiderate behavior who beat their wives “simple”. Additionally, through the figure of a man longing for the love of an indifferent female hero, LeeHyeonGyeongJeon shows a reversed composition of love that subordinates men to women using the emotion of love as a weapon, so that the men and women inherent in the love story. It can be confirmed that the work exposes the power structure of patriarchy. In the end, LeeHyeonGyeongJeon also presents a male figure like Jang Yeon who understands himself and can establish an equal marital relationship like a keeper, while discussing the possibility of a horizontal marital relationship like a sage, unlike an obedient couple under patriarchal authority. It can be said that it is a work that confirms the aspirations of the readers of the time.