고전소설의 콘텐츠화의 한 사례 고찰-웹소설 <설공찬환혼전>의 고소설 <설공찬전> 변개를 중심으로

Abstract

This study examines the web novel “Seolgongchanhwan-honjeon” (Seol Gong-chan's Soul) which was serialized on the Naver site in 2015, to consider the patterns of change that this novel showed as an example of contemporary cultural content when compared to the pre-modern novel Seolgongchanjeon (The Story of Seol Gong-chan). “Seolgongchanhwan-honjeon” adopted the main character of the original novel but presented a story that drastically changed the role of the orignal work. In addition, the web novel created a new character in order to lend probability to the development of events. It was also found that the web novel actively adopted and changed historical figures. At the same time, the web novel accepts some parts of the story of the incarnation of the soul and the world of the dead, in the main events of “Seolgongchanhwan-honjeon” and repeatedly depicts the story of the exile of a ghost that reflects corrupt scandals on the living world based on the event of a homicide. Moreover, the web novel included a romance by resurrecting revenged characters from the dead (known as the attribute of the narrative of the revenged specters). In this manner, there is a change pattern in “Seolgongchanhwan-honjeon” in the course of shedding new light on its original work through a web genre novel which gives a closer intimacy to modern readers as a romance mystery story. In that sense, the adapted work is significant. At the same time, “Seolgongchanhwan-honjeon” is not only relished for pleasure, but also shows the that today's readers can feel empathy, by extending, from a broader perspective, the awareness of problems with life in the world of the living that is shown in Seolgongchanjeon, the original work. In this sense, the web novel is significant.