장애의 문학적 재현과 감각의 재발견 ― 비페이위(畢飛宇)의 『마사지사(推拿)』를 중심으로

Abstract

When literature or media address disability, it often serves not as the central narrative but rather as a narrative prosthesis or a metaphor for the times. This tendency stems from the way disability has traditionally been perceived—primarily as a personal tragedy or as something requiring diagnosis and treatment. Consequently, when disability is portrayed in literary forms, it often symbolizes suffering, tragedy, or something that needs to be normalized. However, as discussions about disability have expanded, the concept of disability has also evolved. Moving beyond the medical aspect, attention has shifted to the social structures that produce disability, expanding into critiques of mechanisms that generate oppression and discrimination. Based on these discussions surrounding disability, there is a need to re-examine how disability is represented in contemporary literature. Bi Feiyu’s novel Blind Massage , the focus of this study, serves as an excellent text to demonstrate how disability is culturally received. Unlike traditional narratives where disability plays a peripheral role, this novel tackles the issue of disability more directly, capturing the everyday lives and relationships of disabled individuals with meticulous detail. The diverse backgrounds, lives, and thought processes of the blind protagonists are revealed through their specific experiences. The novel does not portray disabled individuals as merely oppressed figures or icons of resistance. They are not simply categorized as good or evil, nor are they completely isolated from the lives of non-disabled individuals. The boundaries they navigate are not strictly divided into disabled and non-disabled but are instead fluid, even within the realms of disability and non-disability. Through this portrayal, the novel repeatedly emphasizes how disability has been received in society and urges for a critical reassessment of existing perceptions.