李祭夏 단편소설 「우리들의 時代」의 通俗性과 의미 연구 –「劉子略傳」과 비교를 중심으로

Abstract

Lee Jae-ha’s 「Our Times」 is a short story published in 1969 in the magazine 『Local Administration』. This story stands out among his early stories for its distinction from his usual grammatical rigor, embracing instead a more vulgarity. Overlooked until recently, it represents a forgotten piece in Lee’s body of work. This paper aims to explore the significance of the 「Our Times」, focusing on its unique status as the only story in Lee’s early period to adopt such a popular tone. Although released the same year as 「Yu Ja-yak Jeon」, 「Our Times」 embodies contrasting characteristics. While 「Yu Ja-yak Jeon」 is marked by the typical characteristics of Lee’s early works, emphasizing fantasy and imagery, 「Our Times」 adheres to a straightforward plot rooted in vulgarity. Its narrow gap between story(fabula) and plot(sujet), its sensual depiction as a typical aspect of popular fiction, and its storyline based on phallic order—all these elements form the basis of the work's mainstream appeal. 「Our Times」 differs fundamentally from 「Yu Ja-yak Jeon」 in its setting, which revolves around the life of a worker, grounded in reality, in contrast to the surreal musings of an artist that drive the latter. Given the scarcity of Lee’s early short stories that directly depict harsh realities, 「Our Times」 can be seen as a public indictment of societal hardships, reaching the public through the pages of 『Local Administration』. Notably, as 『Local Administration』 served as a propaganda publication for the Park Chung-hee dictatorship, it is speculated that Lee used this platform to expose harsh realities ironically, creating a form of critique. Disguised as a popular love story, the work subtly transitions personal issues into social ones by illustrating extreme realities, aligning with Lee's early consciousness of social issues. Thus, the popular tone in 「Our Times」 can be interpreted as a means to veil social critique, underscoring that the story's appeal to popular taste is more than a bid for accessibility, but a critique embedded in social awareness.