근대 일부일처제의 법제화와 ‘첩’의 문제 - 1920-1930년대 『동아일보』 사건기사 분석을 중심으로 -

Abstract

This paper analyzes the articles in Donga Ilbo during 1920s and 1930s about “concubines.” Through the newspaper articles on “concubines,” this paper attempts to examine the time when “concubines became the social problem,” the tensions and conflicts between husbands, wives, and concubines during that period, and what circumstances the concubines were placed in and their standpoints. 1920s and 1930s were so called the period of “family reform” during which a modern married relationship and legal monogamy were in the making. Newspaper reports of the incidents related to “concubines” were intended to resolve the problems related to concubinage by visibilizing and problematizing them. It was discussed that concubinage was the cause of many crimes and should be stopped in order for social reform. As keeping a concubine was recognized as legitimate ground for divorce, various legal disputes were rendered by many husbands, wives, and concubines. There were continuous disputes over the matters of confirming the position of “legal wife,” property rights, and parental authorities. Many incidents of homicides and suicides were reported during this time of which victims were mostly the concubine. Many women became “concubines” during the period when the new modern marriage system collided with “old-fashioned” marriage practices. A legal wife and a concubine competed with each other to become the heroine of the “monogamous relationship based on love.” The modern monogamy was newly constructed through the concubines’ expulsion, runaway, or death – in other words, their disappearance.