중국 근대역사소설 ≪神州光復志演義≫의 번역본 ≪滿漢演義≫에 대한 연구

Abstract

The Chinese modern historical novel Shenzhou-Guang-Fu-Zhi- Yan- Yi神州光復志演義, comprising 120 episodes, was published to celebrate the establishment of the Republic of China(中華民國) in 1912. This novel encompasses the historical events that happened during the 300 years of the period, from the Manchu leader Nurhaci’s conquest of the Ming dynasty(明) and the birth of the Qing dynasty(淸) to the decline of the Qing and Xinhai Revolution(辛亥革命) and the establishment of the Republic of China by the Han Chinese(漢族). This paper introduces a newly discovered version of Korean translation of Shenzhou-Guang-Fu-Zhi-Yan-Yi, titled Man-Han-Yan- Yi滿漢演義, and compares it to the previous Korean translation of Shenzhou-Guang-Fu-Zhi-Yan-Yi, currently archived in the National Library of Korea, to assess the differences between the two literary works. Man-Han-Yan-Yi, despite being an incomplete single set of books, contains a translator’s foreword which is not included in the original Chinese novel or Korean translation of it, housed in the National Library of Korea. The foreword reflects the intention of the translator to heighten the ethnic pride of the Koreans by contrasting the mournful atmosphere of the country that lost its sovereignty to Shenzhou-Guang-Fu-Zhi-Yan-Yi’s narrative of unification and independence. Furthermore, since Shenzhou-Guang-Fu-Zhi-Yan-Yi was banned by the Japanese colonialist, the translator appears to have tried to avoid using the word 光復(restoration of independence); instead he has used 滿(Man) and 漢(Han) to show the conflict and war between the Manchurians(滿洲族) and the Han(漢族) in the story. In conclusion, the novel seems to have been introduced to Korea and translated into Korean to heighten and bolster the spirit of independence among Koreans by telling a story of nearby China’s struggle for independence.