해방기 김기림의 계몽운동론

Abstract

This study is concerned with Kim Gi-rim’s enlightenment movement in the era of liberation. He focused on people, who would be in charge of the construction project of the democratic culture, as a subject. His enlightenment movement theory was developed as a combination of three key points, including the development of people-oriented poetics, an interest in a Korean verse, and the Korean language movement. Kim’s activity was the revival of the appearance of seeking a correlation between intellect and reality, which he aimed at from the early 1930s. He hoped to take initiative in the construction project of a democratic culture, which was the pending assignment of the time, by enhancing the people’s participation in politics through the defeat of their illiteracy, which was an imminent issue back then. First, he demonstrated an interest in the lives of the people, and this was carried out as a people-oriented poetics. Second, he saw through the importance of national literary form and consistently expressed an interest in a Korean verse. Third, he pursued the perfect transformation to the Korean language by gradually abolishing Chinese characters that prohibited the desirable lingual activities of the people. His efforts had to be discontinued in the face of a tragic situation, which was an unexpected kidnapping to North Korea; however, it was a moderate and rational approach and attitude based on an objective perception about the reality of the time.