<숙영낭자전>에 나타난 자살의 의미와 그 사회사적 맥락

Abstract

This study revisits the significance of the character Sukyoung and the novel Sukyoung Nangjajeon, focusing on the significance of Sukyoung’s act of suicide. First, this study analyzes Sukyoung’s suicide, which serves as the central motif of the novel. The significance of her suicide becomes apparent when considering its timing. In the novel, Sukyoung takes her life only after the plot to tarnish her reputation has been explained. Furthermore, her suicide is an act that goes against all of the Three Obediences (三從), as she has parents-in-law, children, and the love of her husband Seongun. It is an excessive act that cannot be explained by the ideological meaning systems of chastity or the patriarchal order. Consequently, Sukyoung’s suicide demands a new interpretation. To reinterpret Sukyoung’s suicide, this study examines her position within the Baek family. An examination of the blood letter left behind by Sukyoung after her suicide, combined with the attitude of her parents-in-law who attempted to cover up the situation, makes it evident that Sukyoung was not assured of her position as a daughter-in-law within the Baek family. Lacking blood ties to explain her origins in the real world, Sukyoung is a character of absolute ‘Otherness’ who cannot be tolerated within the rigidly patriarchal family of Baek Sang-gong. The nature of her position means that the significance of her suicide goes beyond mere resistance to Baek Sang-gong. To discuss the significance of Sukyoung’s suicide, this study analyzes the events following her suicide. After burying her body at pond in Okyeondong, Sukyoung is reborn and ascends to heaven, taking Seongun, Chunyang, and Dongchun with her. This conclusion differs from the happy endings found in novels about celestial beings who descend to earth. Its significance becomes apparent when comparing Sukyoung’s status as a fairy, with the endings of romantic love stories popular in the 19th century. Sukyoung Nangjajeon can be seen as a work that sheds light on the realistic aspects of the longing for romantic love. Sukyoung’s pursuit of romantic love ends in cruel disappointment, and her suicide demonstrates the impenetrable nature of the patriarchal family system of the time. Finally, this study discusses the character of Sukyoung herself. Following her suicide, Sukyoung is presented with two opportunities to become a member of the Baek family. However, each time, she refuses to integrate into the family and instead chooses to become an Other. She first becomes a dirty corpse with a knife embedded in her chest, infiltrating every corner of the Baek family home and creating an eerie atmosphere of fear, and then chooses to bury herself in Okyeondong, a space that being devoid of all ties makes her an ‘Other’, rendering herself a complete outsider. It is in this regard that Sukyoung was exceptional. Unlike the myriad female ‘Others’ depicted in classical novels, she did not compromise at a suitable point. By committing acts that were incomprehensible to those around her, she succeeded in rupturing the problematic ideology of the time. Moreover, she achieved this by turning herself into an outsider, solidifying her self-awareness as an Other.