고소설에 나타난 성담론과 그 지향

Abstract

In Korean old novels, there are lots of statements that directly or indirectly point about the problems on the ‘sexual desire.’ Considering these points as ‘sexual discourage’, it is necessary to look at those discourages in detail to figure out how those days' people recognize the sexual desire and how this understanding implies its meaning in terms of politics and society. Especially, in case of Chosun Dynasty where the problems on sexual desire cannot be stated directly in public, which makes it more difficult to find the related works, the statements or testimonies of old novels on those sexual-desire related problems are very valuable for studies. This essay is a trial, aiming to comprehensively collect those statements on sexual desire and to study the recognition and its implication of those days' people. In result, it is found that there are a variety of the statements on sexual desire and its related behaviors in love's Jeongisoseol(傳奇小說), allegory novels, home and family novels, soetaesoseol(世態小說), length novels written in Chinese. Some of them are asserted in negative ways and some of them are mentioned in positive ways. The negative discourses on sexual desire mostly mention that sexual desire destroys a household and a nation, as well as personal body and mind. That is, sexual desire is the root of all individual and social vice. In addition, sexual desire is sometimes talked as a devil existence which has such a strong power that no one would never be able to defeat. This deeply reflects the idea and inclination of the feudal ruling class that tried maintaining patriarchal clan rules system, by oppressing sexual desire based on Confucian view of the world. The main descriptions of the positive discourse are sexual desire is an intrinsic attribute of all living creatures, coming from the reason of Ying and Yang. In other words, just like haphyacho(合歡草) and yeonlyjee(連理枝) and beickjoe(比翼鳥), the sexual desire between a male and a female should not be discouraged as it is a natural instinct which is derived from the reason of Ying and Yang. Furthermore, it affirms the sexual desire extremely, describing it as a driving force to move natural laws, as well as the root of humanity and all creation, saying 'Morality comes from desire, desire comes from human beings composed of male and female,' 'Human desire lets natural laws flow'. Such assertion is actually a reversed metaphysics view of humanity and of natural laws. In this view, those positive discourses on sexual desire can be considered as resistant discourses that repel against the view of Confucianism.