‘둔갑’의 생리, 그 욕망과 수용의 문화적 맥락 －‘둔갑 설화’와『옹고집전？？에 투영된 ‘둔갑’ 행위의 문화적 전제와 문학적 상상력－

Abstract

This research analyzed the motives of ‘metamorphosis’ were narrated in lots of Korean folk tales and Ongkojip-zeon, one of the representative Korean classical novels in a point of view of analyzing the Korean cultural logics and literary imagination works as imaginative premises were undermined in these narratives. First, in a view of understanding on the physiology of ‘metamorphosis’, the motives of ‘metamorphosis’ were described as a media of satisfying one's desire, and also as the symbolic motives of will of power or potentialities of human beings. In the folk tales which were narrated symbolically on the human desire, the protagonists transformed themselves into something or someone to revenge to the people who tried to hinder or severely oppressed them before in the real lives. They had no way to express their desire ordinarily in the real world, so it was inevitable to deprive the other's identity by transforming into his or her appearance and also reveal their destructive power toward the others. Their metamorphosis was the sole way to realize their hidden desire, however the metamorphosis itself leads to the social killing of the others. As a result of the metamorphosis, the transformers were punished by the ethics or public agreement, and they disappeared from an actual world forever in the end of such narratives. In case of regarding the metamorphosis as a symbol of will to power and potentiality, the metamorphosis as a narrative-motif works as a media of realizing the competitive power into the world. Such ability can't be apprehended by the audience and readers at all, so it makes them be regarded as the horrible ones. Such tales shows that human being's dual identitiesl; good and evil, and also it shows the uneasy point of view on human relationships. In a view of others, it can be found the dual points; an apprehensive point of view and negative one in a part of conclusion. As long as it is found the view point of understanding on the transformed subject, as it were, if it is narrated in the point of view that he can't help transforming into the other's shape because of suppressed living conditions, there isn't any punishment about the metamorphosed subject. Such phenomenon shows that such stories premised some cultural logics; there is no principle regarding to the ethics and morals in the reality. And also they show the idea that it is necessary for people to control the incomprehensible phenomenon of world order to make their lives happy. However, in some cases that the transformed subjects reveal their concealed identities by being killed, the metamorphosis was regarded as ‘evil’. Because they drive the others into the confusing situations; destructing their ordinary lives, obstructing their happiness, and taking their dignity as human beings. Otherwise, there are some folk tales that the antagonist reveals his or her identity. Then they evoke some serious confusing things to the reality. In such cases, even the subject of metamorphosis was expelled from the real world, they have immense effects on the reality, the disordered relationships. In these cases, the metamorphosis functions as a reflective media of realizing the subversive power. In Ongkojip-zeon, one of the representative Korean classical novels, it was narrated the moral motif which was oriented to punish an immoral protagonist, Ongkojip. Such story evokes some issues about the dignity of people by including social killing to the protagonist. The fake-Ongkojip who was made with straw by magic, had a intimate relationship with real Ongkojip's family members, and specially with his wife. As a result of his sexual relationship with the wife, he got to have a baby boy. However, in the conclusion, the fake-Ongkojip was transformed into a straw as soon as the real Ongkojip returned by regretting immoral behaviors, and was banished from the reality for good and all. The fake-Ongkojip had some experience as a human being for a while, and he recognized himself as a family member like a husband and a father, and a neighbor. In spite of such experience and self-recognition, the fake-Ongkojip couldn’t help transforming into a straw without any opportunity to refutate, and also he had to receive his social and physical death. In such narratives, there were reflected the point of view that the moral had absolute power which could control the individual’s identity and unique life, and there was no possibilities admitting compromise on the moral. The return of Ongkojip to real world was a result of adaptation to the others wish related to general moral, and in such point, his return can be said a effect of self-imitation. The narratives on the metamorphosis represent the human desire to imitate and deprive the other's identity; his social conditions related to family, relationship, money. social status, etc. And also they represent the social contexts related with Korean cognition and cultural imagination in forms of ‘self-imitation’. The imaginative narratives on the power to will or mechanism on ‘becoming the other’ work widely on the Korean culture as various forms from ‘mimic the other’ to ‘self-imitation’. Such narratives reveal the desire of human beings and show their dual aspects like survival desire and reflection on it.