아전(衙前)의 인물 유형과 현실 대응 방식 - 조선후기 한문단편을 중심으로

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to contemplate the personal character of ajeon and method of reality response reflected in the Chinese short story in Late Joseon Dynasty. Those ajeons who were in charge of administrative affairs in the central government and local government offices and they are referenced as the typical class of illegal corruption. However, the negative character of ajeon is attributable to the problems of the system. Those ajeons carried out official affairs, but there was no corresponding formal compensation and they had to undertake the role to adjust demands and complains of the upper and lower classes as the intermediary class. In the ajeon stories that this article intends to take a look, the reality encountered by the ajeon of the time and its responsive method are reflected through the story type. Ajeon is belonged to a controlling class under the dichotomy classification of controlling and controlled class, but under the relationship with the high bureaucrat noble class as the top-notch class, it is a relatively weaker and lower class. Under this type of dynamic structure, the intermediary ajeon class had the dualistic view in imitation and criticism on the noble class. While they perform the role of mediator, they would face the indispensable criticism as cunning people, but on the other hand, they display the role model of human image to overcome the reality encountered on the basis of internal positive human nature. The tactician aspect of the ajeon class that is emerged in the works would be their survival strategy resulted from the unreasonable system and it would be expressed as the type to lead and support the popular culture under the realistic world.