<창선감의록>의 ‘개과천선’과 악녀(惡女) 무후(無後)

Abstract

<Changsungameuirok> utilized edification discourse of 'reward virtue and punish vice' which means castigation of evildoers through antagonism of good and evil as the theme or the narration frame of the story. What is remarkable is that they are divided into two characters, evildoers who are punished or fools who are forgiven. Ms. Sim, Hwachoon, and Umsoong are described as fools. Ms. Sim is the mother, Hwachoon is the elder brother of the hero and Umsoong is the antagonist but the upper class person. Especially, Sim's repentance begin to emerge woman description which is complemented by man description, this story of malefactress having a devoted son becomes 'Turning over a new leaf' one after supplementation and modification by the son's filial behavior. On the other hand, the evil woman who is punished is described as a failure of issue. So, she cannot have a filial behavior story that complement her wicked description. In the full-length novel, women's stories can be made up for their faults only by filial behaviors of their sons and the malefactresses having no sons are usually the lower classes so they represent 'the lower women's desire' as a menace against the male-dominated society. Political antagonist, Umsoong is forgiven and his daughter is accepted as a blood relationship with a good hero but the Hwa family's eldest daughter-in-law, Cho is never acquitted of her fault. We can understand the eyes from society of the time about a malefactress as a 'dangerous individual'.