신시 전문 매체 ≪시≫의 보편화 추구 전략 — ≪시≫의 시론을 중심으로

Abstract

In many studies of the literary figures of the New Literature era, there has been a tendency to view them through the frame of the “public square” intellectuals mentioned by Chen Shihe. Armed with rich humanistic knowledge, these intellectuals were active within the literary field but ultimately aimed for social reform. Hence, it was natural for their words and writings to convey messages about social reform. Members of Shi(詩) also possessed the characteristics of public square intellectuals to some extent. However, directly linking their universal aspirations in Shi(詩) to overarching themes such as reforming social classes seemed somewhat challenging. Certainly, overlooking the impact of their universal arguments on society would be a mistake. Yet, if public square intellectuals aimed to infuse their intended messages strongly into literature to reach society with their influence, members of Shi(詩) sought to bring the value of recognized universality within their literary discourse, forming a discursive authority within the literary field. This paper began with a hypothesis that after the New Literature movement had passed and a group of intellectuals had departed from the literary scene, molded by political moralism, how these individuals, now tasked with reassessing and affirming the value of the professional role of writers, could not have been the same as before. This was because an emphasis on a specific value, universally discernible in the discourse of Shi(詩), could be interpreted as an effort to establish cultural power. Creating new poetry in the literary field was the surest way to gain cultural power. However, in creating literary works, establishing the value concept of universality through discourse was an alternative method to accumulate cultural capital.