1940~1950년대 조선 비교문학에 관한 고찰

Abstract

In the Republic of Korea (hereafter ROK), there has been few discussion of comparative literature in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (hereafter DPRK). Thinking back on the history of literature of DPRK, there has not been weighty discussion of comparative literature. In the 1940~50s, however,there was active discussion of comparative literature in DPRK. After the national liberation, many critics in the North promoted ‘National Culture’. One of the main points of ‘National Culture’ was to establish amicable relations with the USSR. From its beginning, literature of DPRK emphasised the importance of cultural exchange with the USSR. One of the interesting points of the discussion of comparative literature in DPRK is its criticism of ‘Foreign Literature Group’ and ‘Cosmopolitanism’. This criticism is very important because it is connected to criticism of the literature of ROK. In Hyo Han’s lengthy critical essay, ‘About National Literature’, published in 1949, Hyo Han criticised ‘Foreign Literature Group’ and ‘Cosmopolitanism’,and promoted ‘Internationalism’. With this, it can be said that comparative literature was perceived in the DPRK as a methodology to build ‘National Literature’ by learning literature of USSR in the viewpoint of internationalism. Considering that one of the main objects of comparative literature in DPRK was literature of USSR, it is required to see how much of literature of USSR was translated and introduced in the DPRK. And yet, as Korea is divided and it is now very hard to find any traces of discussion of comparative literature even in the DPRK, it is virtually impossible to collect enough material about the situation of the DPRK in 1940~50s. Despite the fact, we can understand the situation more or less via some critics and material about translation and introduction of literature of USSR in the DPRK. The base of comparative literature in DPRK was not so poor, as over 350titles were translated and published as early as 1950s. And yet, after ‘August Affair of Sect’ and ‘The Period of Chollima Movement’ that followed, comparative literature ceased to be a topic of discussion in the DPRK. Since that time, as DPRK was isolated from the outside world, literature of DPRK excluded comparative literature and cut itself off from literature of the outside world as well. Such international isolation of literature of DPRK leads to ‘Juche Literature’and ‘Songun Literature’, making it even more difficult for exchange of literature with the outside world.