실패의 체험과 근대의 가능성 - 정지용 「유선애상」에 관한 소고 -

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the dimensions of interpretation developed in existing studies and closely examining the previously neglected level of ‘grief’,using Jeong Ji-yong’s poem Yuseon-aesang(which means “The Grief of the Streamline”) as a central text. This is essential for identifying the mechanism and the matrix of the emergence of ‘moderity’ in Jeong Ji-yong’s literature. In doing so, it is hoped that a a sophisticated reading method for Jeong Ji-yong’s literature will be presented. At the same times, it is hoped to provide a a detailed examination of how the ambiguous concept of ‘modernity’ is perceived and projected through a dialectical process. His poem Yuseon-aesang is a work that presents conflicting interpretations and assumptions about its subject material. This paper aims to adopt many of the interpretations of the poem that have been proposed in existing studies that assume automobiles as the subject matter. If interpretations are found to be out-of-context or inconsistent, this paper proposes a new reading based on the poetic context. In particular, by examining the discourse of the streamlined shape that swept through Joseon in the 1930s, when the poem was written, and the actual situation of the car rental business established through Gyeong-Chun Road, we will examine the fantasy of ‘modernity’ captured by Yuseon-aesang and explore the path of failure through which the truth about ‘modernity’ is revealed. Jeong Ji-yong is a poet who continued to consider ‘modernity’ with sophisticated sensory perception. Kim Ki-rim called him the “first modernist” and noted the “facets of civilization” as well as the urban sensibility captured by Jeong Ji-yong. His “modernity” is constructed through fantasy about it. In his poems, the facets of civilization and urban sensibility appear as the poetic subject’s response to the ambiguity of the times, and this attempt leads to the failure to embody the nature of modernity itself. Yuseon-aesang is generally interpreted within the realm of a discourse of streamlined shape in Joseon in the 1930s. Originally, streamline meant a curvilinear design that adds speed to an object, and not only has technical utility, but also acquires a cultural symbolic character, and becomes a symbol of the “spirit of modernity.” As Jeong Ji-yong reveals in Somyo 3(Drawing 3), the streamlined automobile is an object that embodies the public’s desire for speed. The sense of speed provided by the ‘streamline’ supports the ‘modern myth.’ Through this, ‘streamline’ becomes a signifier for a hopeful future that overcomes social constraints. As public aspiration prevails, the car rental industry is also showing growth. Against this background, the poem deals with the anecdote of a poetic subject trying to experience ‘modernity’ by traveling to Chuncheon in a rented streamlined automobile. However, from the first meeting with the automobile to the departure and as the journey progresses, the poetic narrator repeatedly fails to encounter the uplifting ‘modernity’, falling into ‘sadness.’ The automobile, which appears to be “remarkable” and “fresh,” turns out to be an ugly object that is “rickety” and makes only “the sound ingrained by railroad.” At the beginning of the journey, the narrator is amazed by the dynamism of technological advancement, which allows him to “Thrust out” despite the constraint of a “bad day.” However, soon after, he feels disappointed again, caused by the deadlock of the urban traffic situation. In the deepening of the journey, the narrator eventually achieves a sense of speed by running along the “Chuncheon Three Hundred-li Cliff Road.” However, this also leads to the fleetingness of time, failing to provide satisfaction and enjoyment of ‘modernity’ through the expandability of space, and the narrator once again fails to experience it. Upon arriving in Chuncheon, the automobile’s engine dies. The sense of speed disappears, and at the same time, it is completely revealed that ‘modernity’ is impossible to experience. However, the narrative of Yuseon-aesang cannot be solely considered an anti-modern narrative opposing technological civilization. The reason for this is that the ‘grief’ that Jeong Ji-yong specifies in the title of his poem emerges from the impossibility of experiencing ‘modernity.’ ‘sadness’ is the narrator’s primary emotion regarding the failure of the experience of ‘modernity’, and the ‘grief’ is the narrator’s secondary response to the inability to adequately address that ‘sadness’ at the level of the poetic subject. the ‘grief’ is a product of the ‘modern melancholy’ that stems from the demand of the times that drive modern person, but at the same time, it is the negativity as an inherent attribute of modernity itself, where the sadness is inevitably not adequately addressed. In this sense, Yuseon-aesang occupies a key place in Jung Ji-yong’s process of poetic creation. It provides a clue to the complexity of how he depicts modernity. Jeong Ji-yong presents Yuseon-aesang as his own response to the question, ‘What is modernity?’ However, he never gives a direct answer to that question. He merely shows its failures by staging ‘modernity.’ Through such an analysis, it is hoped that Jeong Ji-yong will be able to newly acquire the status of a poet of “confrontation and rejection” against all false attempts to actualize ‘modernity.’