관부연락선의 문학적 재현과 상징성- 『만세전』과 『관부연락선』을 중심으로 -

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the aspect in which the meaning and symbolism of the Gwan-Bu Ferry, one of the important symbols of Japanese colonial rule, are remembered and reproduced in Korean literature. The Gwan-Bu Ferry opened in 1905 and traveled between Joseon (Busan) and Japan(Shimonoseki) for more than 40 years, and it is not just a means of transportation, but an important historical symbol with the complex relationship between colonial Joseon and imperial Japan behind it. Yeom Sang-seop's Mansejeon released in 1922 and Lee Byung-joo's The Gwan-Bu Ferry released in 1968 take this ship as the main spatial background of the novel. In addition, it can be said to be an important medium in examining this ship in that it deals with changes in the perception and behavior of the protagonist. Mansejeon, which was released at the height of Japanese colonial rule, realistically reproduced the violence and barbarism of the empire through this ship and used it as an important narrative device to change the perception and attitude of the protagonist. On the other hand, the The Gwan-Bu Ferry, which was announced while securing a considerable time distance from the Japanese colonial period, reproduces the complex situation of Korea-Japan relations that cannot be explained by the dichotomous structure of colonization and empire with an objective perspective. Although they reproduce conflicting aspects, both novels used the ship, which was an important historical medium of Japanese colonial era, as a medium of fictional imagination. And it can be seen that the two novels have a common literary value in that they tried to understand and remember the times through the Gwan-Bu Ferry.