허생전의 목적 합리적 담론 분석

Abstract

This paper examines Heosaengjeon. In the name of Heosaeng (許生), Heo means advancing, evoking, and allowing. This meaning is a crucial clue to understand the construction and meaning of Heosaengjeon. Heosaeng likes reading. After leaving his home, he reforms thieves and moves to an overseas vacancy island with them to construct a new ideal world. These actions illustrate his realization of the meaning of his name. While fulfilling the meaning of his name, Heosaeng is in conflict with other characters, denies an action for value rationality, and aims at an action for instrumental rationality. Heosaeng’s actions manifest the realization of Myeongmyeongdeog(明明德, illustrating the clear character), Sinmin(新民, renovating the people), and Jieojiseon (止於至善, abiding in the highest good), which are the Three Doctrines(三綱領) in The Great Learning(大學). His actions for instrumental rationality in accordance with these three principles reveal a critical discourse against administrators’ actions for value rationality by virtue of their ostentation in economic policies and engagement of talent at that time. Heosaengjeon is a discourse of the minority whose members sought Shilsagushi (實事求是, seeking truth from facts) with actions for instrumental rationality, criticizing a ideological discourse with actions for value rationality in the medieval times. One of the literary values of Heosaengjeon is that its realistic discourse with actions for instrumental rationality became a foundation for Korea’s inevitable movement toward modernity to keep pace with the rapid changes in the East Asia.