최대치의 실존과 맞서기 ― 한 샤오궁 심근문학의 역사성과 현재성

Abstract

The Root-seeking Literature in the mid-1980s in China is full ofparadox. One of the puzzling questions should be that what does“root” mean. While the Root-seeking writers appear to seek fornative culture, in the deeper level, it is strongly motivated bydesire toward and anxiety with “becoming modern”. That is, theardor toward native culture and modernism are entangled witheach other within the Root-seeking Literature. This article analyzes Han Shao-gong’s short story “ReturningHome” and his novella, “Woman, Woman, Woman”, focusing on theperspective of paradox of the “root”. Basically, both works arereflections of the Cultural Revolution. For Han, the CulturalRevolution is the root to which he has to go back to build newmodernity in the Reforming and Opening era. Therefore, hisjourney going back to the Culture Revolution is filled with atension between a desire to leave behind the Cultural Revolutionand an uncanny strength hauling toward it. After all, both workscall for the Cultural Revolution out of the historical oblivion and try to return it to modern history. Restoring the cracked history by remembering the CulturalRevolution is also an existential task for Han Shao-gong who spenthis youth in that period. He was a fervent supporter of therevolution ideology and, at the same time, experienced frustrationwith the unbridgeable gap between the ideal and reality of therevolution. Thus, for him, remembering the Cultural Revolutionalso means facing a split in his self. However, this self-split is apositive device to reposition an individual within the socialhistorical context of contemporary China, rather than alienatinghim/her from it. In this vein, Han’s root-seeking is a journey torestore historical crack and search for the connection between selfand the history.