1950년대 '자유' 개념의 번역과 『자유부인』

Abstract

In the 1950s, an exploration of the specific meanings of the concept 'freedom' was performed in the Korean society, and it was understood as humans' autonomy and independence. But its concept that was actually used among the public who used the same language (言衆) then was more equivocal and complex. In the early part of the novel 'Madame Freedom', widely read then, freedom is used as the concept that indicates unstability or deviation needing control. Its concept negatively distorted in that way is depicted along with the immorality and fall of the female character Oh Seon Yeong. Incidentally, as it gets into the later part of the novel, a new meaning is provided to the term. The male character Jang Tae Yeon also pursues it, and his pursuit of it is depicted as rational and logical work unlike Oh Seon Yeong's pursuit of it. He is presented as an alternative existence that admonishes her and leads her to a right path, and its concept he pursues is also idealized (理想化). But in his definition of it, the dictionary definition and fundamental meaning of its concept, that is a doubt about irrationality that oppresses autonomy, is omitted. As a result, its concept shown in the novel only indicates one kind of freedom that has ended up becoming part of the system, that is 'the freedom to adapt oneself to the system'.