정한숙 소설에 나타난 예술과 사랑

Abstract

This paper examined art and love exhibited in Jeong Hansuk’s novels. Jeong Hansuk was born in Yeongbyeon, Pyeonganbuk-do in 1922 and defected to South Korea in 1946. Since his debut as a writer, he had ceaselessly produced literary works showing various aspects in each of his published works. Although Jeong Hansuk’s world of novels is distinguished by diversity, studies on his novels have been focused on the full-length novel 'The Broken Bridge.’ It is therefore necessary to expand our area of interest into many other works created by the writer. Despite being a writer who had defected to South Korea, he is differentiated from other writers who had also defected to the country in terms of not immersing himself in defection or separation itself. As a North Korean defector, professor, and novelist, Jeong Hansuk focused not only on deep regrets about the damaged world and his hometown, but also on the exploration of a fundamental point that could go beyond them. Based on a positive perspective on human life, he paid attention to various problems such as art, tradition, love, and solidarity as important elements of life. This paper explored the problem of artists’ essential identity reflected in his novels. In doing so, it intended to analyze the relationship between artistic creation and realistic situations, and furthermore, understand the association between an artist's life and love. For a long time since the 1950s, the issue of art and artists had been the writer's main concern. Jeong Hansuk portrayed the agony of artists in a world that is moving away from the world of traditional beauty through his artistic creation. His works also revealed a critical awareness of those who could not appreciate the genuine value of artistic works. This way, his novels explore the essential meaning of being an artist, and in this attempt, human solidarity beyond the calculation of gains and losses significantly influences the formation of the artist's identity. Eventually, the writer shows that true solidarity with others is necessary in every process surrounding artistic creation.