여장군소설의 개화기적 변화상 -『대한일보』 연재소설 <女英雄>을 대상으로-

Abstract

I considered Yeo-yeong-ung(女英雄) published serially in the time of enlightenment in relation to differences with the female-general novels written in the Chosun Dynasty period. The heroin of Yeo-yeong-ung sticked to her opinion and refused the marriage to her providential spouse. In the course of this conflict, a lot of new events occurred in succession and new characters who forced the heroin to obey the power of destiny appeared. However she rid herself of fatalism and absolutely adhered to her own volition. Though her volition was followed firmly, it was substituted by the logic of reality, that is, the irony of circumstance in the latter part of the novel. I proposed that this powerful volition and a substitution for it were the signal that Yeo-yeong-ung had come to close the modern novel. In the latter half of this essay, I inquired into the antagonism of consciousness and the intention of the author on the basis of an analysis of narrative properties. Firstly, I observed that China as the narrative space presented a striking contrast to the Foreign. While China in the novel meant the closed and oppressed space, the uncivilized island(Salmaido) represented the opened and free space. The heroin enlightened the ignorant people and established the wealthy and powerful country in this island in a short period of time. I thought this way of narrative development caused to the intention of the author of aiming at the civilization of material aspect. Secondly, I investigated the contrast between the past and the present. While women in the past were not educated sufficiently and obeyed their unfortunate destiny, the modern women in the present should be equally educated and improve their lot by themselves. Actually in the novel, the well and equally educated heroin showed her great ability and built up her own civilized country. I thought this narrative development was originated from the consciousness of the author of aiming at the civilization of spiritual aspect. In conclusion, Yeo-yeong-ung was the novel that maintained the well-valanced civilization of both material and spiritual aspect.