민족개조와 감정의 진화: 1920년대 이광수 문학론에 대한 예비적 고찰

Abstract

The evolutionary theory was introduced in Korea via Japan and China in 1880s. From the late 19 century up to 1910s, the evolutionary theory took on the roleas a discourse to inform the real state of the international society where the ruleof the jungle was overwhelming. It was not until the second studying abroad inJapan(1915) that Lee Kwang-su was influenced by the evolution theory. And hepublished the primary editorials, such as A gleam of Resurrection and the NewLife Theory. Lee emphasized ‘the self-consciousness for evolution’ rather thanconformed the evolution as the external environment logics. ‘The self-consciousnessfor evolution’ implied both setting up the evolution as one's goal and modifyingand designing it teleologically, and this idea lasted in the 1920s. National Reformationwas the editorial, basically written on the evolution theory, and where the nationalreforms repeated the similar procedure of the evolution theory: variation, reproductionand natural selection. Meanwhile his deliberation on the evolution expanded tothe literary theory, claiming that the emotions of inferioty should be removed bymeans of classifying the emotion. That the evolution theory served to constituteLee's literary theory in 1920s was studied and confirmed in this essay.