악비(岳飛)와 임경업(林慶業)의 인물형상

Abstract

The comparison of Akbi (Yue Fei, 岳飛) and Im Gyeong‒eop (林慶業) began during the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon Dynasty. The two historic personalities had many things in common. They lived in the times when the barbarian tribes occupied the central land of China. They both enjoyed reading Chunqiu (the Spring and Autumn Annals, 春秋) and held a high admiration for the moral principle of Chunqiu (春秋大義). They exerted themselves to defend the Chinese civilization and recover China’s old territory, but to no avail. They were eventually killed by internal betrayers, not by their enemies. They pursued a military strategy of one‒mind. They were regarded as more than just heroes and elevated to the level of deities in later periods. Yet they revealed some differences as well, notably in military achievements, the configuration of their conceptions and births, and the spatio‒temporal backgrounds. While Im suffered as a captive, Akbi did not. The variances were also witnessed in transcendental heavenly intervention and multi‒faceted implementation of the moral principle of Chunqiu. The character type of Im Gyeong‒eop is a failed hero; as an outstanding warrior, he relentlessly pursued the moral principle of Chunqiu, but fell short of realizing it. It has an important and special meaning in the configuration of characters in East Asian narrative history.