제천(堤川) 의림지(義林池)의 문학지리와 그 의미

Abstract

Uirimji of Jecheon was the center of agriculture, where it gave the water to the wide-open paddyfield and enabled it to cultivate. Irrigated area of Uirimji is 400 kyel which corresponds to 71.6% of paddyfield in Jecheon.Uirimji was regarded as the life of a spring in Jecheon. Thus, unlike Cheongpung of the Hwanggang or Hanbyeokru, it was not the space of poetical elegance,but the place to live a life. Literary works which deal with Uirimji contain the reality of people’s tough lives. The image of Uirimji was formed in this way. In the legend of Uirimji which is a similar type of the legend of Jangja Lake, it shows that people were frustrated in a tough reality through the discipline of stinginess and the tragic sense of life. But “Eojangsachamsaga”, the narrative Chinese poem written by Hakgo Kim I-Man, demonstrated the courageous character which was based on tale of Eossi ojangsa where he defeated a monster serpent. People’s courage and prowess, which overcame the difficulty and won the victory, was highlighted. The motives result in the legend. In our literature, this narrative Chinese poem, based on legend and fork tale, is rarely written. It has a value as a significant leap to go beyond reality. The literary symbolism of Uirimji cannot exist out of Jecheon. This is because it is the living place of local residents.