1960년대 초 아동문학에 나타난 시대의식

Abstract

The study aimed to examine zeitgeist appearing in children’s literature in the early 1960s and figure out authors’ consciousness detected in literary works. Toward this end, it was concentrated on delving into fairy tales and children’s poems that reproduced events occurring in the early 1960s. First, Flower Seeds and A Snowman authored by Ma, Hae-Song and The Story of A Girl from Masan written by Lee, Won-Su are fairy tales that well represent zeitgeist prior to the April 19 Revolution. The flower seeds portrayed in Flower Seeds and A Snowman indicate weak and powerless ordinary people, and the snowman refers to a leader like Lee, Seung-Man. The fairytale well demonstrates feelings of ordinary people who want corrupt leaders to disappear like melting snowmen. The Story of A Girl from Masan authored by Lee, Won-Su is based on realistic description on the March 19th Uprising that lighted the fuse of the April 19th Revolution. The author remembered young students who risked their lives to find justice wishing that such a tragedy would not take place again on the Korean peninsula. A Younger Brother’s Song, a children’s poem written by Lee, Won-Su well expresses the author’s intention not to forget the spirit of the April 19th Revolution, and If Ice Forms in May, a children’s poem written by Yun, Seok-Jung well expresses the author’s desire to console survivors from the April 11th, particularly victims’ mothers. Second, I am an Arizonan Cowboy, a children’s poem written by Kim, Su-Young portrays the exciting images of the President Lee, Seung-man’s resignation during the April 26th Political Upheaval where the author feels elated as if he were an Arizonan Cowboy who defeated villains. Ears under the Ground, a fairytale authored by Lee, Won-Su well demonstrates a strong longing of the victims of the April 19th Revolution for freedom. It also well describes the author’s spirit of resistance and desire for retaining hard recovered freedom. In addition, the tiger president appearing in The Rabbit President portrays a person like Park, Jeong-Hee who took power by force of arms. It well expresses the author’s consciousness and desire for election of an upright leader in the 5th General Election on October 15, 1963. The above-mentioned literary works indicate that the authors made efforts not only to express pure and innocent children’s mind in their works, but they also endeavored to give hope for and show faith in human beings and future by looking straight at situations facing children.