디스토피아 서사에 나타난 성의 정치학과 그 현재성: 마거릿 앳우드의 『시녀 이야기』
Sexual Politics and the Relevance of a Dystopian Narrative: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
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본 논문은 마거릿 앳우드의 디스토피아 소설 『시녀 이야기』에 나타난 성의 정치학과 그 현재성을 살펴보는데 목적이 있다. 이를 위해 소설에 재현된 길리어드 공화국의 디스토피아적 양상을, 성을 매개로 한 권력관계와 권력담론의 차원에서 살피고 억압에 맞선 여성 인물들의 저항을 살펴본다. 또한 에필로그 ‘역사적 주해’의 함의와 이 소설이 주는 메시지의 현재성을 분석한다. 환경오염으로 불임이 만연한 길리어드는 생물학적 본질주의에 기반해 시녀제도를 만들어 여성을 자궁으로 물화한다. 종교 담론을 전유한 가부장제이자 전체주의 사회의 남근로고스중심적 담론은 여성을 주변화하고 비가시적인 존재로 만든다. 어머니, 모이라, 오브글렌과 같은 여성들의 저항정신은 화자이자 주인공인 오프레드에게 영향을 미치고 그녀는 스토리텔링을 통해 길리어드 체제에 저항한다. 본 논문은 출판 후 30년이 지난 현재에도 여전히 큰 영향력을 미치고 있는 이 소설을 여성주의적 관점에서 분석함으로써 우리가 지향해야 할 바를 살펴보는 데 의의가 있다. 향후 ‘생명정치’를 적용해 이 작품을 다루어도 좋은 연구가 될 것이다.
Abstract
This article aims at examining the sexual politics and relevance of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian fiction, The Handmaid’s Tale. For this, this paper examines Gilead’s dystopian aspects, focusing on gender-based power relationships, and dominant discourses, and women’s resistance against oppression in the novel. Also it analyzes the implication of the epilogue, ‘historical note’ and the novel’s relevance. Gilead, where infertility is prevalent because of environmental pollution, invents the Handmaid system based on biological essentialism and objectifies women as wombs. The phallogocentric discourse by the patriarchal and totalitarian society appropriating religious discourse makes women marginalized and invisible beings. Women’s spirit of resistance as embodied in Offred’s mother, Moira and Ofglen affects Offred, the narrator and protagonist, and she resists the system’s oppression through her storytelling. This article is meaningful to examine what our society needs to pursue by analyzing the novel based on feminist perspective. Although the novel was published 30 years ago, it still has an enormous affect these days. Analyzing this novel based on the concept of the Bio-Politics would be a good subject for further study.
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