1980년대 노동문학(연구)의 정치성 - 연구자의 무의식과 노동자의 글쓰기를 중심으로

Abstract

This study aims to specifically analyze politics, an element of labor literature of the 1980s which has been usually researched focusing on appearance of new agents. Subjects of this study are labor novels of the 1980s and history of research. For specific methodology, political unconscious of researchers on labor novels of the 1980s and direct analysis of texts which differ from traditional history of research. This study, in particular, imposes a great significance on these two key words- 'politics'. 1980 is worth paying attention in terms of literary 'politics' in Korea's history of culture. In this period, literature was extremely participatory in reality by covering literary texts and contexts with politics. 1980s is also known as a period with unprecedentedly considerable correlation between literature and politics and at the same time called the literary dark ages as 1940s. It means politics and social situations of the time prevented literature from growing and creation of literature was a lot less than other periods in the literary history. However, in terms of labor literature, literature can be thought to blossom in 1980s. Many non-periodical publications, laborers' literary pieces in several magazines and memoirs prove the popularity. But when it comes to view of it, Korean histories of literature and study have taken very biased patterns. Researchers of the time on labor literature devaluated it in terms of literary value and experts since 2000 have only focused on defining 'agent' of the literature, so that they have defined labor literature of the 1980s as 'sub-agent's literature' and named agents of creation 'bottom' or 'subaltern'. When it comes to purpose of labor literature, politics surpasses esthetics. In addition, labor literature is characterized by movement and instigation so that it reveals illogical labor conditions, fundamental contradictions and inequality of the working classes and promotes labor union. Therefore, this study gives attention to the creative purpose of 'political movement' in labor literature. This finally enables to get out of the antiquated view as 'literary value' taken by the traditional history of literature for labor literature and escape from the unconscious of the researchers that they have considered labor literature only as sub-literature, so that this is expected to employ a variety of works and genres into the labor literature and change the definition of labor literature. If the labor literature of the 1980s is seen from a different view, it looks more attractive because an agent of movement is an agent of creation and it is a literature for the period of blossoming literature with a view to 'laborer union'. Reviewing labor literature of the 1980s and research on it now is to find an answer to the question on social roles that literature should take. The review also allows examining relation between literature and reality and is a step to restoring what has been excluded in our history of literature.