모윤숙 초기시의 심상지리 연구 - 민족주의, 제국주의, 센티멘털리즘을 중심으로

Abstract

Shining Region is a noteworthy yet controversial collection of works. Itexcels the works of the first generation of Korean female poets and helpsdefine Mo as the first female poet in Joseon, but it has not been discussedadequately enough considering its significance. This study illuminates thefacets and meanings of nationalism, imperialism and sentimentalism inMo’s Shining Region, focusing on its imaginative geography, and notes onthe following. First, Mo’s Christian nationalism, which is based on theimaginative geography of the Old Testament, is associated with imperialismand secular desire. Second, her imaginative geography of the battlefieldsis related to nationalism and imperialism governed by evolutionistictheories of power. Third, the imaginative geography of the Gando regionbears significance as it introduces the Gando experience to modern Koreanpoems while it reveals problems such as Mo’s superficial awareness ofKorean territory and the fissure between the public and private self. Fourth, Mo’s nationalism in her early poems is old and limited in that itfails to perceive the scheme of Imperial Japan. Although it looks resistantagainst colonial rule, it is in fact connected with imperialism in depth. This limitation belongs not only to Mo but to her era itself. Fifth, sentimentalismin Mo’s early works represents the domain of the private poeticself. Sentimentalism reveals the inner world of Mo’s private self while nationalismreflects the persona of the public self. The essence of her poemsassumes more of the former. Her sentimentalism contributed to a freshperspective on the aesthetic value of personal feelings and the works offemale poets, and thus deserves more attention and further study.