센다이 루쉰과 ‘기의종문(棄醫從文)’ 재독

Abstract

This essay explores a new understanding of Lu Xun’s stay in Sendai along with his famous event “Abandoning Medicine for Literature.” Lu Xun’s “abandoning of medicine” began simultaneously with his study of medicine. This is because “deliberation” was the most important value for Lu Xun. The beginning for Lu Xun’s abandoning of medicine prioritizes an importance of deliberation for human beings, which was even more important than his lifetime mission of recreating Chinese national character. The deletion of portrayal of absent-minded Chinese in “Mr. Fujino” is hereby significant. While Lu Xun’s discovery of problematic Chinese is meaningful, the influence of Russo-Japanese War on Lu Xun should be noted as well. The Question Leak Incident, which took place before the Lanternslide Incident, also has the Russo-Japanese War as a background. Lu Xun’s seek for literature should not be limited to the events that took place precisely in Sendai. The Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War heralded national liberation for the intellectuals of colonial citizens; at the same time, the resurrection of racial discourse came around such as in a form of Chinese inferiority. The Russo-Japanese War as well as the changes made to the global discourses may have been a critical background for prompting Lu Xun’s seek for literature.