근대 초기 청년 지식인의 성공 신화와 자기 계발서로서의 번역 전기물 －프랭클린 자서전을 중심으로－

Abstract

In the early 20th century, the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin arrived at Chosun in which various biographies of western great men were published. In 1909, Choi nam-sun(崔南善) who was a journalist and publisher had introduced Franklin’s 13 virtues and his daily planner in his journal, So-nyun, and 2 years later a Korean translation, Bu-ran-kuk-rim-jeon(富蘭克林傳) was published by Lee Shi-hu(李始厚). In 1921, another Korean translation was published by commercial publishing house, Han-sung-do-seo, and also at that time one of the most influential newspapers, Mae-il-shin-bo(每日申報) serialized their own Korean translation. In fact, all of these were retranslated from Japanese translations one of the reason was that it was the Japanese colonial period. Although their translators, publishers and original texts were different, it was same that they focused on not his political acts but his business success. Furthemore, the introducer, the translator, the editor or the publisher emphasized Franklin’s public enterprises, for example, to make public libraries, schools, nurseries, electric facilities and roadworks. They said that, just like Franklin, young men could overcome their poverty[difficulties] through industry and thrift and that arriving moral perfection would give them wealth and fame. The narrative of Franklin’s life could be a sort of ‘Bildungsroman’ and a living model of resolving a conflict between public and private interest. In conclusion, the Korean translation of Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was recommended and read a kind of Self-help in this early age of enlightenment and capitalism.