한강 소설의 촉각적 세계 인식과 소통의 감수성: 『희랍어 시간』을 중심으로

Abstract

Former studies of Han Gang’s novels are inclined to the way female subject, who is suppressed under patriarchal system, expresses anti-social madness i.e. vegetarian diet, anorexia, nudism and aphasia. Also, stress on repression of female characteristics in former studies is apt to emphasize dichotomous understanding of distressing male and distressed female. Dichotomous understanding is not appropriate because disease-like symptoms in Han Gang’s novels are common in male and female characters. Han Gang’s ultimate aim of story is the way relationship and communication between subject and object through recognition of common bodies including male and female are progressed to inter-subjectivity. Especially, those common bodies reject isolated and concluded vision and realize notion of ‘flesh’, core of which is the Intertwining-the Chiasm. Therefore, the goal of this study is contemplation of how notion of ‘flesh’ in Han Gang’s novel saves characters fallen into despair. In the novel “Greek class hour” analyzed in this study, are male character who has inherited disease causing gradual blindness and female character who suffers aphasia. Because of hopelessness not to be able to see, male character intentionally disregards physical objects and sinks into metaphysical world. Despaired male character gets to have relationship and communication with female character who is worn out by violence made through others’ seeing and refuses representational feature of words and hovers over non-language world. Through these relationship and communication with female character, male character acquires new sense and identity. “Greek class hour”, despite of abstract expressions often used, depicts realistically and practically the process in which bodies intertwine and make each other subject.