This dissertation aims to investigate Lee Chung-jun's language-cognition, and find the viewpoint of fiction and art in his 'Artist novel(Kun stlerroman)'. Lee has been confronting with 'language' and that is very rare case that focus on 'language', so...
This dissertation aims to investigate Lee Chung-jun's language-cognition, and find the viewpoint of fiction and art in his 'Artist novel(Kun stlerroman)'. Lee has been confronting with 'language' and that is very rare case that focus on 'language', so it can be essential work for determine Lee's language-cognition and his way of world-understanding. It is certain that these should be treated to important study, be owing to the subjective language-consciousness of 'Korean-educated generation', what is called '4.19 Generation'
Language-cognition needs delicate examination because it implies aesthetic and philosophic aspect. At first, I construct a critical frame that defines the 'Artist novel' with established discourse, and divide it to 'Craftsman type' and 'Novelist type'. Next, I unfold various theories about language to get aspect for examine Lee's language-cognition. 'Arbitrary and Difference' of Saussure can be the most important foundation of Lee's language-cognition, and Benjamin, Heidegger can also help him. Especially Oriental philosophy of language can be the standpoint for the gradual change of Lee's viewpoint. For These examination, I refer the discourse of Art-social theory of Lukacs, Goldman and Adorno, and sum up issues of philosophy of art, modern aesthetic and post-modern arguments.
Lee's language-cognition can be defined as 'critic on the modern viewpoint of language, and process of solving', so the main argument of this dissertation will composed of two part, 'critic on the modern view of language and search for the alternative novel-language' and 'solving the limitation of modern language and reflection on the representation'.
As the introduction of partⅡ, the first and second paragraph of the chapter 1, executes the most basic analysis. At first, I clarify Lee's opposing language-cognition is from the different life-mode such as 'Rural/City life'. Such a opposition spread to 'Ontological/Relational language' and 'Sentimental confession/Utilitarian explanation', and organize the main idea and basic composition of Lee's works. Especially, Lee's debut work 『Toe-Won』 shows us that opposing language-cognition is the most original term in Lee's novel. Next, I observe Lee's world-understanding which be linked directly with literary representation. In 「Bi-hwa-mil-gyo」 and 「Yi-u-do」. Lee's way of world-understanding formed with oppositions such as 'Visible/Invisible' and the trial to make the world of invisible to visible by literary representation. This can be the preceding work for discover Lee's novel-cognition.
The second chapter of partⅡ, 'critic on the modern viewpoint of language and transformed use', processing the main discourse, and the first paragraph of chapter 2, we can notice the point of Lee's critic on modern language-cognition in the short novel「Magi's death」and the sequence of 『Preface of sociolinguistics』. Lee's critics grounded on 'Arbitrary' of Saussure, and he points out the contravention of language that became 'floating words' without a well-matched contract between the 'Signifier' and 'Signified' and moreover, his critical mind indicates fictitious arguments of power structure, languages of mass media and modern civilized society. Although the realistic state of language ruined, literary art cannot be abandoned. At this point, Saussure's 'Difference' get the key position. we can find Lee's theory of art in 「War and Instrument」 with the notion of 'Difference'.
Lee's investigations progress on the matter of novel-language with a skeptical questioning such as 'Is it possible to write fiction with corrupted language?', continually in chapter 3, I put the former discourses together and grope for Lee's viewpoint of novel. Then I observe Lee's understanding of the novelist with the novelist character in his works. Lee emphasizes the ruined reality by implying 'novelist' to corrupted character like 'Pickpocket' in sequence 『Pickpocket』. Then, with this 'rhetoric of Masquerading', Lee regards the novelist to the corrupted one who make scandal with the ruined reality. In the second paragraph, examining Lee's novel-understanding, how did he establish the 'False Image' which used for revealing the oppressing reality positively in「Apparent Sleep」. Like this, Lee's peculiar understanding on novelist and 'False Image' revealed as his literary theory deduced.
In the third paragraph, with summing up the former critic on language and fiction-cognition, I clarify the novel of 'Liberty'. We can find the meaning of 'liberty in fiction' by the 'rule and release' in considering 「Rule and Release」 and 『Door of Liberty』. The 'Order of Liberty' which Lee uses in his works is near to the 'Original Liberty' which established with the confliction with both the conservatism and progressionism. It is same to the 'liberty' which '4.19 Generation' pursued. After that, I arrange Lee's character of narration with in the aspect of 'representation', so that can find out Lee's narrative strategy. All his method such as 'narration of reasoning', 'dualize the subject' related to the limitation of 'representation'.
In the partⅡ, the new viewpoint of language which made in the critic on modern language and the course of solving the limitation presented. The solving developed with the reflection of modern representation, so in the part Ⅲ, the course finding alternative viewpoint of language and reflection of representation mainly considered.
As the introduction of partⅢ, I examine the sequence 『People of Nam-do』 which is the essential work contains Lee's language-cognition and viewpoint of art, reread. Then make certain that it is not a work showing harmony of 'language and life' as the established literary scholarship has tended to view, but a tragic work which revealing the incompetence that cannot recover the 'whole language' which novelists have pursued by unification of opposing words. The analysis tried to seam this sequence with 'forgiving and compromise' should be reconsidered. Lee's new viewpoint of language established in the spot the pursuit of 'whole language' meets the failure.
Next, in the second paragraph, the alternative language-understanding and the course of changing of fiction's structure explained. The critical works on modern language are processing to find new language. In this location, Oriental theory of language, Heidegger's and Benjamin's thesis are sinking into. Lee changes Heidegger's saying "Language is house of Being" to "Being is house of Language" and transfuse the discourse from language to being. The agreement between 'language and things' which destructed by prevalence of the 'Arbitrary', composes triple bond of 'existence-language-life'.
As the composing, Lee makes artist character who harmonize 'existence and language' and 'life and language', such as the painter 'Sae-min' in 「House of Wings」 and storyteller 'Mu-so-zak' in 『Mu-so-zak』. As the change of viewpoint of language, the inner structure of the novel-language also changed. These two works of the Lee's latter period, written not by the modern fiction's structure, but in storytelling structure so that can be said to the 'Biography of Artiste'. By these examination, the change of viewpoint of language and novel's structure, deduced into details which explained already in the partⅡ become clarified.
As the last part of this dissertation, I consider 『Autography Unwritten』,「Door of Time」,『The Third Scene』, and「House of Wings」. By the artist character of these works, we can make clear Lee's reflection on the modern language and representation. The 'memory' which stood on the deferred effect(Nachtrglichkeit) would recovered by language-language, and reflecting on the purity of 'language' which can be sure by 'unification of the written and spoken language', and then, bring the essential question about the representative works of artistic subject. On this foundation, he criticizes 'projection' and 'perspective', the central principle of modern epistemology, and pursuits 'unexchangeable' value of art in the world of exchangeable and then show us the artist of 'mimesis' who overcome the 'duality of life and art' and the world of art.
All of these examination let us notice Lee's language-cognition and viewpoint of art which established by the reflection of modern representation. Lee's works neither incline to the premodern nostalgia nor try to fly over the post-modern sphere. What is most important to him, is the wholly critic on the modern by being skeptical on the modern aesthetic's foundation and boundary. In the Conclusion, I sum up the all study in this article, and confess about the limitation of this argument.