식민지 조선의 근대와 자립의 과제 -염상섭의 『사랑과 죄』, 『광분』, 『삼대』를 중심으로-

Abstract

This study would aim to look into the rift originated from transitional phenomenon of modern Korean Society under the effects of Capitalism and other modernity through Yum, Sang-seop’s three novels written in 1920～30, “Love and Crime(사랑과 죄)”, “Rampage(광분)”, “Three generations(삼대)”. Yum, Sang-seop always faces matters and events of the time in his novels. “Struggling with the problems of the days, that main characters are now being faced, they shows a vision of Korean modern society and its problematic factors caused by hasty modernization process forced by Japanese colonial rule. There is money, especially inheritance from previous generations without any productive activity, at the center of important events in narratives of his 1920～30’s novels. The narratives are peppered with materialism and desire toward wealth and honor of characters, and materialistic people tried to make relationships with a heritor that has a large fortune. At this point, love affairs and sexuality come to the fore as a means of relationships since those can be effective way as an exchangeable value to make or strengthening relationship with someone who has wealth. Since relationship itself is a means not an end for them, their connection is not only spurious but also full of untruthfulness. Modern law and reasonable systems are already practicing officially in 1920～30, but people of Yum’s novels are still following an obsolete custom and reacting emotionally and irrationally against the matters in hand. Instead of a fair means, people choose trickery, illegality and lies frequently. Even though those relationships and troubles are caused by private life of individuals of characters in family society, they are effectively functioning as metaphors of problems in modern Korean society under Japanese colonial rule. In other words, the web of desires people have for the money in the stories can be a mirror of materialistic aspect of modern Korean society in which snobbism is widespread. That is the reason why amorous relationships and crimes of passion enter the scenes of Yum, Sang-seop’s novels repeatedly. At the beginning of Modernization era, Japan made Korea import modern law and market economy of Capitalism by their colonial policy, but danger from inconsistency between modern system and pre-modern way of people’s living due to a vestige of feudal society inheres in the modernizing process of Korea due to spontaneity of modernizing process. Yum, Sang-seop is the writer who tried to detect rifts of the Korean society of early days and to struggle with modernity problems to seek an individual who can overcome national crisis, colonial rule of Japan. Three novels are messages from him to give readers an ultimate answer he found and that is an independence of individuals not only materially but also mentally. It means that love affairs and crimes of passion of his stories cannot be treated in a popular vein even though it looks like a popular love story.