전북 지역 근대문예단체 연구

Abstract

This study examines the historical process of modern literature groups before their birth and their activities after the birth in North Jeolla provincial region. Originally "sihoe(詩會, poetry party)", the first of its kind in the Korean literature group, was a place for Confucian scholars in the region, used to promote friendship and parade their knowledge in Chinese writings. The poetry party in the North Jeolla provincial region started from the noted scholar Choi Chi-won (崔致遠), who was appointed as governor-general in Taesan (currently Taein in South Jeolla Province) during the late Silla Dynasty. During the Joseon Dynasty, poetry parties by Confucian scholars took place all over the country. Poetry parties in the province were divided into voluntary gatherings by local community leaders, gatherings led by local bureaucrats, and gatherings by individuals. As with "Jeonju Sihoe" led by students who studied in Japan, the term "sihoe" was borrowed as the name of modern literature groups. Sihoe contributed to establishing a foundation for modern literature movement in the North Jeolla region by promoting the true nature of modern literature through lectures on literature. More students who studied abroad organized literature groups in other regions and brought about modern literary campaigns. They made great efforts to propagate modern literature by providing young men and adolescents in the region with opportunities to relish literature. They were most active in Jeonju, Gunsan, Iri and Julpo. Efforts by literature groups were mostly concentrated on staging amateur theaters or theatricals, but there were also activities to nurture literary knowledge as they organized panel discussions on literary works or publishing journals. Adolescent writers who were stimulated by young men’s literary campaigns kick-started their own literary groups to participate in literary campaigns, serving as a foundation of modern literature in the North Jeolla Province.