자결(自決)을 통해 본 욕망의 문제 -<열녀홍씨전>을 중심으로-

Abstract

This study looked into the desire of the suicide of Mrs. Hong who was admired as a virtuous woman in the Chosun dynasty. There are three writings about Mrs. Hong. I set " The biography of the virtuous woman, Mrs. Hong" which is written by Siseon Lee as a main text because it focuses on Mrs. Hong. Mrs. Hong lived a life at the husband's house by serving her father-in-law after her husband passed away. She had the power of property and the succession of the family. She controlled the house , too. She was harmed by the brother-in-law and the other members of the family who envied her power and wanted to take it. Mrs. Hong did her best and did everything to reveal her false incrimination. The plot to injure a woman's chastity in the Chosun dynasty was most fatal. It could threat and destroy one's self-respect. Finally, Mrs. Hong could proved her guiltless by showing the part of her body to the judge. After doing that, she killed herself. She proved her purity because she wanted to be a perfect person. Also she had the desire to keep her honor. However, it caused to reveal the blame of the husband's family and to pull down the family. The resistance and the suicide is different from the suicide of the virtuous women because they are done to keep her self-respect in spite of the sacrifice of one's family. Also, the death penalty of the father-in-law of Mrs. Hong who failed at the lawsuit conflicts the filial piety which was inevitable value in the Chosun dynasty. But the writers who wrote about Mrs. Hong showed their thought to keep the patriarch society by praising Mrs. Hong as a virtuous woman and not talking about the relation of the husband‘s family. Mrs. Hong decided to kill herself to come true her desire which live a perfect life. The killing herself is the inevitable tragedy which the woman who uses her right must have. However she can be the person who wanted her desire and say her thoughts.