‘사회주의적 사실주의’에서 ‘주체사실주의’로의 이행 -‘해방후 평화적 민주건설시기’에 대한 북한문학사의 기술 변화

Abstract

Because of its official characteristic, North Korea’s history of literature faithfully reflects North Korea’s socio―political system and ideology and is sensitive to changing political contexts. In this respect, discussions on the changes in the contents and writing in North Korea’s history of literature leads to a review of the official discussions on the definition and role of literature in North Korean society and specific changes that have occurred. Based on the recognition that the characterization of ‘Peaceful Democratic Construction Period’ by North Korea’s literature history writing has greatly changed in accordance with the changes in party policies, this paper has analyzed changes in the perspective, structure, and content of North Korea’s history of literature in the late 1950s, late 1970s, and early 1990s. Three different editions of North Korea’s history of literature aptly reflect political and cultural changes around their publication. The most salient content change in terms of the system of description and content occurred around the establishment of juche idea in 1967. In the case of Joseon munhak tongsa-hyeondaepyeon [Comprehensive History of Literature in Korea―Contemporary Period] (1958), which was written before the establishment of juche idea,Socialist realism is the basis of aesthetic assumption in treating the meaning of the literature after the liberation. However, Joseon munhaksa [History of Korean Literature](1945~1958)(1978) and Joseon munhaksa [History of Korean Literature] 10 (1994),which are both based on juche theory, are centered on directives by President Kim Il-sung. Joseon munhak tongsa-hyeondaepyeon [Comprehensive History of Literature in Korea―Contemporary Period] treated Shingyeonghyangpa (New Trend School) and proletarian literature as the orthodox line based on modern Socialist aesthetics and recognized the literature of the Peaceful Democratic Construction Period as their legitimate heir. Later editions abandoned such principles of history writing and proposed literature and arts for anti-Japanese revolution centered on Kim Il-sung and juche national culture and arts as aesthetic principles. Becauseof the characteristics of the North Korean institution, which has to serve system literature,the editions published after the unitary Kim Il-sung system adopt Kim Il-sung as the guiding principle of not only history of literature but also identity of literature to write history of literature as led by Kim Il-sung. Unlike literature history writing in South Korea, which is characterized by an open horizon of interpretation, literary history written in North Korea emphasizes the identity of politics and literature by abridgement, distortion, and exaggerated transformation of parts into the whole under the stronghold of politics. This implies that considerable heterogeneity that cannot be easily eliminated exists―even when universal value of literature is selected as the standard―in South and North Korea’s writing of the history of literature in South and North Korea in the future.