문학이라는 시뮬라크르 - 신경숙의 『외딴방』과 문학적 진정성에 대한 해체적 읽기

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to bring to light the autobiographical essence inherent in Shin Kyung-sook’s work, The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness, which serves as a quintessential representation of 1990s literature. In doing so, this paper aims to elucidate the implicit political unawareness embedded within the discourse of authenticity prevalent during the 1990s. To achieve this objective, an in-depth reassessment of Shin Kyung-sook’s autobiographical narrative is undertaken through the lens of ‘autofiction.’ This analysis identifies the various narrative techniques employed by Shin Kyung-sook in her writing. The genre concept of autofiction proves instrumental in demonstrating that, despite her writing’s apparent blurring of the boundaries between fact and fiction, it effectively assumes the authority and influence of both. In light of this exploration, this article’s key arguments can be summarized as follows. The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness, through its skillful utilization of narrative techniques such as serialization and metafiction, concurrently unveils the potentials and constraints of factual representation. It strategically redirects the narrative focus from the endeavor to recreate the demise of ‘Hee-jae’ towards the challenge of depicting the self. This narrative transformation is integral to the establishment of the authorial identity and authenticity. Notably, the work consistently reveals Shin Kyung-sook’s yearning for ‘literature’ as she delves into her own writing. This recurring motif of ‘literature’ emerging from The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness functions as an ideological illusion, ethically, aesthetically, and politically sanctioning the author’s literary practice. The desire within the text for the semblance of “literature” essentially represents the text’s determination to confer upon itself the authority and capability to effectively mourn a bygone era symbolized by “Hee-jae.” In this context, the critical characterization of “authenticity” associated with The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness mirrors the political unconsciousness of an era compelled to acknowledge, or desiring to confirm, the irrevocable death of the 1980s.