여성국극 <춘향전>의 페미니즘 미학과 문화콘텐츠 의의

Abstract

Yeoseong Gukgeuk (i.e., Korean traditional musical with an all-female cast) and Changgeuk (i.e., Korean traditional opera) are Korean traditional dramatic art forms that stemmed from and developed based on Pansori (i.e., Korean traditional one-man narrative opera). Yeoseong Gukgeuk was derived from Changgeuk, but differs from Changgeuk in that its cast is comprised only of female artists. To put an end to the patriarchal culture of the mixed-gender theatrical troupe of Changgeuk, Yeoseong Gukgeuk organizes its cast consisting only of female artists who also act as male characters in male attire. However, the masculinity and feminity which feminist artists achieved from acting and performance failed to overcome the patriarchal barrier and merely reflected the emotion and fantasy of the public. The female characters of Yeoseong Gukgeuk failed to have their own voice, overcome their fate, or reject or change a traditional gender symbol. In this respect, the genuine value as cultural contents cannot be achieved through Chunhyangjeon which is a Yeoseong Gukgeuk that features a story about a female character maintaining her chastity for her love beyond social classes. Instead, in the current era, Chunhyangjeon should embody the gender ideology further to the extent that it takes precedence over the patriarchal ideology. In order for Yeoseong Gukgeuk to show the genuine creativity of feminist aesthetics, females should wage a real symbolic struggle, build solidarity based on the gender ideology and thereby accomplish the foremost mission of gender equality.