설화와 전래동화의 장르적 경계선 : 아기장수 이야기를 중심으로 = The Boundaries Between Folktale and Fairy tale: A Study of the Tales of the Infant Warrior

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The aim of the present study is to illuminate the boundaries between folktale and fairy tale (the children's tale) by focusing on the legend of the Infant Warrior. In Koran literary theory, theorists tend to consider the Infant Warrior. In Koran literary theory, theorists tend to consider the fairy tale both as a subgenre of children's literature and as a subgenre of the folktale. This literary tendency is problematic: first, because in Kora of the 1920s; second, because there were no tales for children only in traditional folktales. In addition to these problematic aspects, we have to take into consideration the Western influence in the making of the Korean fairy tale. According to the Korean scholars who have specialized in children's literature, it seems that the Korean fair tale has been influenced from its star by the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Andersen. However, in the West, a number of scholars have considered the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Andersen as different from the folktale in that the former tales were not "told" but "written" and reflected the patriarchal ideology of the dominating class or Christianity rather than the aspiration and values of the dominated group, that is, the folk.
Thus, If we think of the fairy tale as a subgenre of the children's literature and consider the Western influence in the making of the Korean fairy tale, it is necessary for us to pay attention to the similarities and differences between folktale and fairy tale, especially the modernity of the fairy tale.
In the present study, I try to pursue the literary relationship between folktale and fairy tale while concentrating on the literary transformation of the Infant Warrior legend. The reason why I focus on the Infant Warrior legend is that it, deals with infanticide, and improper subject matter for children's literature. In order to present such a subject matter in an appropriate form for children, it is necessary for fairy-tale writers to transform or adapt it so conspicuously as not to hurt the feelings of the children and their parents. Therefore, fairy-tale writers have until recently avoided dealing with the Infant Warrior legend though it is one of the most widespread tales in Korea. However, during the last decade, fairy-tale writers who want to overcome the didactic and utopian limits of the fairy tale have shown much interest in the tragic legend of the Infant Warrior. Fairy tale writers have mitigated the tragic aspects of the legend by making the mother's role in infanticide less sinister and less cruel than its folktale versions. In its folktale version, the mother has no motherly love for his son and makes a ruthless decision to sacrifice his son for the family or for money. In contrast, in its fairy tale versions, the mother tends to be described as humane, motherly, simple, gullible, and weak-willed.
However, the fairy tales of the Infant Warrior have one thing in common with its folktale versions: regardless of the differences in character, the mother plays a crucial role in the death of her son whether she does consciously or unconsciously. The meaning of the mother's role can be properly comprehended only when we integrate multiple interpretations from several different perspectives: socio- historical, mythological, psychological, and feminist. This needs further discussion and researches.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ.머리말
• Ⅱ.아기장수설화의 세계
• Ⅲ.아기장수 전래동화의 세계
• Ⅳ.결론
• 참고문헌