이제하 초기소설의 현실묘사 방법과 그 의미

Abstract

The studies done on the early novels by Lee Je Ha have considered them to be unrealistic. However, the North and South relationships and problems related to modernization are dealt seriously by the novels. Marshall Berman in analyzing the Russian literature has argued that “unreality” is the most easily seen method of the description of distorted modernity in literature. This study argues that the “unreality” of characters and background of Lee Je Ha's novels are closely related to the deviant trends of modernization occurred in Korea. The main background of Lee Je Ha's novels is the family, the army, and the school. Such institutions try to tame an individual. His novels showed us that daily life during the era was under close observation and strict supervision through looking closelyat the power of the modern disciplinary institutions such as the above. Although Lee Je Ha's novels did not directly deal with any historical incident, it shows the mechanism of institutions that may have been caused by such historical incident and that made it possible for such incident to occur. Unreal city appears a lot in his novels. Such fantastic and magical scenes often appear in novels when the modernized cities give out promises of freedom and satisfaction and yet lack in realistic means to carry out such promises. The fantasy in Lee Je Ha's novels is not just an escape or consolation of reality. It is to describe the genuine aspects of reality. The characters in his early novels are abnormal such as psychotics, sexually incapable men, alcoholics, men with thievishhabits, men with infantile paralysis, army deserters, and suicidal men. As argued above, these characters tend to appear in novels that try to describe an underdeveloped nation going through a distorted modernization.