생활의 경험과 자기 모색의 글쓰기 : 최서해의 예술론과 후기 소설 재독(再讀) = Writings of Life Experiences and Self-discovery - Focused on the Art Theory of Choi Seo-hae and Rereading of his Latter Novels

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to examine the literary theory of Choi Seo-hae based on his essays and critiques and reread his latter novels, which had been undervalued compared to his former novels. Ever since Im Hwa mentioned the Choi Seo-hae style tendency as one branch of the new tendency group's literature, the studies on the novels by Choi Seo-hae have mainly focused on his initial fictions which had been classified into 'the New Tendency Group Novels'. While the vivid description of poor people and the figures trying to overcome such a destitute situation appeared in his initial novels, the internal conflicts of the main characters such as journalists and intellectuals emerge in the works classified as the latter novels. The initial works were able to draw attention since the experience of Choi Seo-hae having lived a poor life was reflected. The public realized that the vivid description and the strong resistance spirit toward poverty can be revealed through it. On the contrary, the intellectual novels of the latter period were not able to draw much attention in the sense that they degenerated the spirit of writers and aimed to be satisfied with the reality. The experience of living a poor life - the background of Choi Seo-hae as a poor writer - brought about the overevaluation of the initial works and the underevaluation of latter novels.
However, when taking into consideration that Choi Seo-hae not only started his literary career and worked as a journalist and magazine editor but also his literary world changed, his experiences are also reflected in his latter novels. The intellectual characters appearing in his latter works do not live a better life than the poor who emerged in the initial works. The intellectuals suffer from poverty, worry about hunger, and do not turn a deaf ear to the irrationalities of the reality. They obviously do not vent their anger in the forms of violence, murder, and arson but they choose the method of reflecting on the absurd reality and their own social status. In this regard, the latter novels of Choi Seo-hae cannot be evaluated as regressive. Such a change in the novels is related to the changes in his literary theory. Choi Seo-hae puts emphasis on the role of 'emotions' while writing his initial works but puts greater emphasis on 'character' in the latter novels. The 'character' in this context is not a virtue which all humans must possess but presumes the meaning of 'the main agent' who mediates life and art. In other words, for Choi Seo-hae, character is formed between the will to transform living and the desire to express it through art. He had used the concept of 'character' so as to diagnose living and presume the practical subject to change living and the artistic subject for actively imagining the situations outside the reality.
Through it, one can ultimately provide the answers to the meaning of writing novels for Choi Seo-hae and the meaning of writing for Choi Seo-hae. He wrote to realistically describe his experiences as a poor writer and express the anger. On the other hand, in the latter fictions, he wrote to objectively recognize the changes in the identity from 'a laborer' to 'a writer' and reflect on his position. In spite of such a change, the absurdity of poverty remained as a main topic.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 곽근, "최서해전집 上·下" 문학과지성사 1995

2 이경돈, "최서해와 기록의 서사화" 15 : 2003

3 김재영, "최서해 초기 소설에 형상된 ‘공포’와 ‘파국의 상상력’" 한국문학연구학회 (55) : 291-320, 2015

4 박현수, "최서해 소설의 승인 과정과 에크리튀르의 문제 —조선문단합평회와 『개벽』 「월평」을 통해 본 1920년대 중반 문단의 지형도" 반교어문학회 (26) : 375-404, 2009

5 손유경, "최서해 소설에 나타난 <연애>의 의미" 우리어문학회 (32) : 431-457, 2008

6 "조선문단"

7 임규찬, "임화문학예술전집2. 문학사" 소명출판 2009

8 최병구, "운명과 행복, 근대(인)의 자기인식과 그 매개- 최서해 소설을 중심으로 -" 국제어문학회 (72) : 181-202, 2017

9 고인환, "식민지 시대 재만 조선인 디아스포라의 발화 전략 ―­ 최서해와 강경애의 텍스트를 중심으로 ― ­" 한민족문화학회 46 (46): 287-310, 2014

10 장성규, "식민지 시대 소설과 비문해자들의 문학사" 한국현대소설학회 (56) : 497-522, 2014

11 "매일신보"

12 한수영, "돈의 철학, 혹은 화폐의 물신성(物神性)을 넘어서기―최서해의 장편 <호외시대>론" 4 : 1993

13 한수영, "‘분노’의 공(公)과 사(私): 최서해 소설의 ‘분노’의 기원과 공사(公私)인식을 중심으로" 한국문학이론과비평학회 19 (19): 363-398, 2015

14 안용희, "‘그늘에 피는 꽃’, 최서해 문학의 아포리아" 민족문학사학회 (57) : 9-38, 2015

15 유승환, "1923년의 최서해 - 빈민 작가 탄생의 문화사적 배경" 한국현대문학회 (52) : 221-264, 2017

16 유승환, "1920년대 초중반의 인식론적 지형과 초기 경향소설의 환상성 -『개벽』과 『조선지광』의 인식론적 담론을 중심으로" 한국현대문학회 (23) : 131-173, 2007

17 김동식, "1920년대 중반의 한국문학과 ‘끼니’의 무의식 : 김기진과 최서해, 그리고 ‘밥’의 유물론" 문학과환경학회 11 (11): 175-205, 2012