『구운몽』의 재미와 교훈

Abstract

Guunmong(九蕓夢), which is a novel created by Gim Man-jung(金萬重), became the subject of controversy because of the narrative structure that is mixed a dream and reality. Many people regard Guunmong as a novel that contains instructive contents such as religious realization or ideological theory. By the way, this is the phenomenon that was shown due to the compulsion of trying to find out a lesson in classics with thinking that reading a novel is labor. Novel is a kind of interesting thing. Thus, reading a novel corresponds to a pastime. The story and characters of Guunmong are addressing a problem of a desire that a human being has, thereby being filled with a lot of fun. The purpose of this study is to examine how and which fun is specifically made and to figure out a character type and a narrative structure in Guunmong. The first fun in Guunmong originates from recycling a story structure in 'A Hero's Life.' The story structure of 'A Hero's Life' arising from a myth specifically shows the most perfect life that a human being can imagine. Guunmong well shows the biggest social success that a human being can achieve, and what a method is that is most suitable for accomplishing it. Both the dream and the reality that appear in Guunmong are the world of a desire. Even a scene of denying a dream after returning to reality has a meaning as saying of achieving the last desire of reality. The second fun in Guunmong results from utilizing the story structure of 'Love Relationship.' In the process that the hero Yang So-yu(楊少遊) has relationship with eight women, a man's sexual appetite is well revealed. Eight women are the characters who implemented diverse sexual attractions, respectively, desired by a man. A point of making an alliance in the process of social success and a point of having connection caused by a woman's positive love-making show a method of accomplishing the easiest sexual appetite that a man wants. Yang So-yu shows the snobbish image loyal to the instinctive sexual desire, but receives women's understanding and tolerance in the way that shows pure love toward counterpart. As a result, all the eight women come to hold the equal position within a family. This seems to be set-up for drawing female readers' sympathy. Guunmong has an important value dubbed an excellent method of storytelling and a specific exploration on human nature by skillfully mixing two stories called 'A Hero's Life' and 'Love Relationship.' However, a man's sexual appetite that is shown in Guunmong has a problem as saying of being able to be used as a logic of justifying polygamy or patriarchy. Also, there is a need to pay attention even to which the shape of male and female characters shown in Guunmong may rationalize inequality of sex role or gender hierarchy that exists even now.