탈경계의 문학적 상상력: 스트루가츠키 형제의 『월요일은 토요일에 시작된다』

Abstract

The Strugatsky Brothers, one of the most prominent authors in the field of Soviet science fiction in Russia who began their career in the end of 1950s and had apotheosis in 1960s in the mood of social thaw, had greatly impacted the development in the genre of the 20th Century Soviet science fiction as well as they pioneered it. The Strugatskys’ originality should be found in their creative work that combined tradition of critical satire in the Soviet literature with the science fiction. The Strugatskys’ works are not dystopia nor the simple science fiction, but the experimental space where fundamental issues about human being had been searched inquisitively. The Monday begins on Saturday is a noticeable literary work in which clearly displayed unique style of the Strugatskys' creative writing. This fantasy novel satirizes the reality of Soviet and the idealism of science, using a genre of fairy tale, made remarkable position in the Strugatskys’ works. It is notable that the comic style of this novel is distinguished from other dystopia that reflected the reality of Soviet in dark mood. It is a metonymic space in which concentrated keen satire of the Strugatskys on Soviet’s idealism of science and the reality of Soviet. By the using of a metaphor for absence of sundays or holidays the Strugatskys emphasis that mundane work and idleness in Soviet. In that way the Strugatskys proof their self as an outstanding political author to whom Soviet society was their system of reference, their subject, and addressee. The Monday begins on Saturday consists of three parts, “Vanity around sofa”, “Vanity of vanity” and “All kinds of vanity” yet, neither main events making up the story line, nor the ending resolving the conflicts exist. Only the series of sudden events such as unexpected encounters of magical figures, Soviet scientists, magicians from all over the world, supernatural figures are mixed in vanity. This vanity originated from the stiffened monologic mentality of scientism and stiffened mechanical circumstance, but in that lifeless mechanical/automatic situation bursting out laughing would play a role for “correction of imperfection” that the Soviet society claimed. In other words this laughing is from the irrationality of excessive seriousness and “the socially valid punishment on immoral and despicable men.”The gloomy daily life and harmful effect of bureaucracy produced full of idleness in the Soviet society. The Strugatskys’ satire on the daily idleness and evilness of the Soviet bureaucracy targeted “unproductiveness” of Soviet’s rhetorical slogan by the vain wordplay and futile signifiant in The Monday begins on Saturday. Especially daily idleness, armchair argument, and monologues were gathered into the meaning of “Vanity”, repeated subtitles in three parts of this novel and emphasized the futile signifiant that do not produce signifier. Numerous abbreviation in The Monday begins on Saturday had caricatured futile signifiant of Soviet society that created “untranslatable” non-communication even to internal recipients owing to the Soviet’s scientism and the rational expediency. Meanwhile, the Strugatskys’ humanistic imagination boosted moral-social issues in their works and manifested The Monday begins on Saturday as the integrated meeting space that met with all the imaginary elements from Russian folktales and classical literatures. Noticeably enough, this literary work is not only an unique experimental genre that engrafts the fairy tales into the genre of science fiction, but also the realization of dynamic conversation with the tradition of fantasy and satire in the Russian literature. It is a “Menippea” or “Menippean satire” that M. M. Bakhtin defined as “carnival-like genre and exceptional format of experimental fantasy.” Menippean characteristics in The Monday begins on Saturday could be found in the contravention of the genres and carnival-like overturn against the Soviet ‘official genres' of literature. It satirizes the Soviet’s reality and represents the Strugatskys’ secret aspiration of “the victory over the authoritarian prohibition and fear.”