1910년대 최남선의 ‘자조론(自助論)’ 번역과 그 함의-'자조론(自助論)'(1918)의 변언(弁言)을 중심으로

Abstract

This Thesis has reviewed the translation of the text of the ‘Self-Help’ mainly focused on the preface, which few researches on the ‘Self-Help’ had reviewed before, for its translation and the message in it. Namsun Choi had translated and published this book by diagnosing Joseon at is mental panic status where outstanding tradition and past times are disposed while not being able to accomplish the new civilization at its risk to establish new mental index. Once, Namsun Choi had taken pride in the abundant historic time and tradition as ‘resources of Joseon’. Such layers of accumulation were one of the axes which is a constituent of the current ‘self’ which is connected to the current resources to encourage the progress of Joseon. He introduced the civilization as a creating ‘individual’ with talent and patience and had a command of logic of self-help that initiates the ‘self’ from it. The self-help and success of an individual is connected to the whole called a nation and an individual is subject to the whole. In addition, it was about a constituent of the world order, ‘Joseon’. The process before and after the reading and translating of the ‘Self-Help’ was an opportunistic time to discourse about the Joseon people itself or the ‘self’ and turning Joseon into a subject of an academic field. The fact that he did not just translate the text but had written an extensive preface shows that the purpose of his translation was not merely transferring the moral lessons and economic values of the message of the original book as a cause or an effect. The logic of ‘Self-Help’, according to Namsun Choi, began opening a door to a nationalistic prospect which integrates the tangible and intangible tradition Joseon has abundantly with the ‘individual’ which is the subject of civilization he had newly discovered, restores the cultural excellence of Joseon, and to be located in the world as to compromise the East and the West. Since the beginning of 1900s, Namsun Choi had maintained the critical mind for Joseon academy through cultural activities such as collecting old books, translating, and publishing. Also, the preface of the ‘Self-Help’ presents clearely the significance and limit of inflection point at which he discourses about ‘Joseon-self’ at the nationalistic horizon and systemizes ‘Joseon’ in precise areas based on his experiences and knowledge.