북한문학사의 역사주의와 탈역사성-원시시대~중세초기를 대상으로

Abstract

“Chosun Munhaksa”－The Literature History of North Korea, This book will be omitted as B－that is published in 1991 presumes evolutionary perspective that literary works reflect each social historical status. B declares scientific description has been aimed through their past public literature histories in their 1950’s, 1970’s. In addition, it says historical principal should be embodied through the literature history and the historical sequence of Chosun literature development will be pursued in its foreword. In spite of the aim, schematic pursuit such as periodization, a distribution of the literary works to the period, and description of text characteristics would turn out non historical and illogical in some cases. On myths, B sets primitive myths, ancient myths and medieval legends of feudal kingdom. Historically, no primitive myths are handed down in a form of scripts, so B argues primitive myths can not be maintained its own form, therefore partially found in the ancient myths and medieval legends and artifacts and historic sites etc. B suggests primitive myths are some episodes in ancient myths : Hwanwoong descends from heaven to earth to govern with gods, Hemosu, the son of celestial emperor ascends and comes down to govern everyday and some more stories are suggested as primitive myth. B sees the backgrounds of these are primitive ideas, animism, and sorceries. However, the episodes reflect rather ancient kingdom’s worldview than the primitive’s. The idea of celestial god as one ruler, having the highest rank in the world and the idea of relationship of an heavenly emperor and his sub-gods in episodes corresponding to secular kingship and bureaucrats are ancient. The society at that time needs a king of decisive power to unify small tribes and this necessity stimulates the imagination on the highest celestial divine kingship, relationship. These values are composed in narratives of myths. The ancient myths such as ‘Chumong myth’, ‘Pak Hyukkose myth’, and ‘Kim Suro myth’in South Korean research are classified into feudal kingdom foundation legends in B, it says the narratives is close to a real human relationship. But ‘Pak Hyukkose myth’, and ‘Kim Suro myth’ are also under ancient worldview when ancient kingdoms were came to being. And very mythic events and characteristics these narratives have. B cut out those characteristics without reasonable explanation. An ancient song in South Korean literature research, ‘Kujiga’ is classified as a primitive song from the aspects of a primitive labor-song in a simple form. B focuses on its favorable proofs and neglects the characteristics of a god inviting song of ‘Kujiga’. A few illogical propensities in B’s description are mentioned and criticized : insufficient proofs, hasty generalization on nationalism, hidden individuality of authors and works due to emphasis on nationalism. Apart from social systems and ideologies, one of the main aims of literature history is to describe the literature’s realistic existences and characteristics. Periodization of literary works of B seems compulsory, because it follows the historical periodization, rather than literature characteristics. The researches and debates on Korean literature history will be valuable to set a proper literature history of Korea especially because the same literature tradition we both have.