국가주의적 젠더정치, 모성의 호명과 주체화의 욕망 - 해방기 장덕조 소설을 중심으로

Abstract

As the liberation period was the time when the existing social order and frames were eliminated at once, a variety of desires were actively expressed and conflicted then. The task given to us at that time can be concluded to have been building a new country and recovering and establishing identity, and in order to accomplish the task of foundation of a nation at that time, a national identity had to be secured first. Therefore, the novels of those times needed to solve both problems of establishment of a national identity and recovery and settlement of individuals’ self-identity. At that time, the literature held a very active attitude dealing with the given task. This paper particularly focuses on Jang, Deok-jo’s novels during the liberation period, a female writer who continued to write from the Japanese colonial era to post-Korean war. Jang, Deok-jo actively responded to the call of nationalistic gender politics demanded by each age both during the Japanese colonial era and during the liberation period. As the way to solve the two problems of securing national identity and recovering and establishing each individual’s self-identity, she chose the way to project the latter on the former. In other words, she tried to solve the problems by jumping on the other’s desire. It seems to have been caused from the longing for becoming a social subject. Consequently, her trial was close to failure. In some ways, this failure was expected in that subjectivation cannot be gained by devoting oneself to the other’s desire in the first place. In addition to this fundamental point, the failure also resulted from the various sides of the other which changed so rapidly that one couldn’t catch up with, that is, the fact that the social and political environments during the liberation period changed too fast. Jang, Deok-jo’s novels during the liberation period began from ‘a rebellious mother’ bringing about national unity, and ended up becoming a person who should earn everyday life. What’s most interesting is their facial expressions. They advocate the value of being a person responsible for and manage everyday life, but they never willingly internalize it. Their uncomfortable expressions are the other aspect of constant slip and the left who have failed to match and get on any other’s desire to the end. Namely, Jang, Deok-jo’s novels during the liberation period makes readers reconsider how subjectivation can be possible, and in addition, constantly check the failure and boundary of national literature and nationalistic gender politics.