전형기 소설사의 풍경 -1990년대 초 ‘새로움’에 관한 논의를 중심으로

Abstract

After June Democracy Movement(1987), Korean society quickly moved to the 1990s, facing a turning point. The collapse of the Eastern bloc and the fall of socialist ideology, with globalization and liberalization, placed Korean society in a simultaneous world history, and the struggle in May 1991 marked the end of the 80s on a social movement level. Then, what was the case for literature? A critical discussion of Korean literature during this period was about “novelty.” It was an aspiration for the 1990s, the upset of existing discourse by postmodernism, and coming true of called pop(ular) culture. The Korean literary field began the 90s with expectations for the so-called “new era” and optimism for reconciliation of the history, but the new era, of course, did not come immediately. For example, entering the 90s, Korean novels showed a variety of formalities, starting with Jang Jung-il, which was clearly a separation from the 80s. In addition, the activist narrative, which was called Huildam Literature[후일담:reminiscences literature], was also seeking a literary transition by contributing to the effect of disconnection through the distance rather than re-enacting the 80s. The literary representation of reflection in the wave of change brought about a return and continuation of the 80s, and the value of novelty was considered a liberation from oppression or taboo, resulting in a generalization desire or hasty nihilism. At the same time, “novelty” was discussed not in literature but in the socio-political level, the representative notion “new thinking” declared by Mikhail Gorbachev. Although not exactly conceptualized, “new thinking”, which is considered a emphasis on reciprocity the premise of a brave change of ideas, also had a significant impact on Korean political leaders and managers. Expressions such as “new thinking” and “new era” were used in the early 90s to dismiss old conflicts as old and sew them up, especially the emergence of “new generation” was considered a declaration of literature in the 90s, but it needs to be discussed in detail that they stood at the end of the 80s. Following the texts and critical aspects of Korean novels around 1990, this paper aims to analyze how the sense of “novelty” was expressed and how it worked as a kind of obsession with Korean novels. Through this, it is intended to show that the period around 1990 can be named another transition period in Korean fiction history.