The purpose of this thesis is twofold: it is to reconsider the characteristics of Chosunmundan by way of its feature and meaning as a literary system, and to reveal the dynamic traits of the literary field in the middle of 1920's.
First of all, chapt...
The purpose of this thesis is twofold: it is to reconsider the characteristics of Chosunmundan by way of its feature and meaning as a literary system, and to reveal the dynamic traits of the literary field in the middle of 1920's.
First of all, chapter Ⅱ examines what Chosunmundan aims at, by looking at the circumstances when it was published and the principles of the way it was edited. Chosunmundan is worth noting in that it has a tendency to campaign for spreading literature on a people-oriented basis. Besides, it is a magazine that proves the autonomy and professionalism in the field of literature for the first time in the history of the modern literature. There was no commercial intention in the strategy that Chosunmundan obtained fame and authority as a literary magazine through a symbolic figure of Kwang-su Lee, and induced the readers' substantial participation through an invitation of contribution. Its only goal was to circulate the new literature among the general public. Since this movement was grounded in the craze for literature, prevalent in the contemporary society, it put spurs to the favorable publication of Chosunmundan, and served as a promoter for the expertism of literary area throughout the society.
Chapter Ⅲ investigates the outlook of Chosunmundan on literature by means of 'lecture on literature' and 'panel discussion,' both of which are the critic forms that unveil the editing policy of Chosunmundan as was pointed out in chapter Ⅱ. These two, on the one hand, took a form of serial publication which made it possible to continue the discussion. On the other hand, they mobilized the reputed writers as reviewers, which secured the reliability of discussion. These two forms have in common that both of them are based on the theories of the western modern literature. However, they are distinct in their approaches to literature. That is, 'lecture on literature' approaches literature in a dimension of theory, and in addition, brings literature into relief as a language form that guarantees the spirit and ideas of the nation, by positing 'national literature' as a matter of course. In the meantime, 'panel discussion' attempts to present the concrete conditions for literature as an art through the reviews of actual works.
Chapter Ⅳ concentrates on the system of encouraging the readers' contribution, by which Chosunmundan creates the readers who agree to its outlook on literature. Meanwhile, we analyze the process of finding new writers among the readers in this chapter. The readers' contribution section in Chosunmundan set up a wide range of readers, by way of which it arranged a space for the contemporary readers' to experiment on the modern writing and creation. Moreover, reviews on the selected writings, which were published a posteriori, were an attempt to communicate with the readers. In the meantime, we compare the readers' contribution in Chosunmundan with the prize literature in Saengjang, and confirm the strategic efficiency of Chosunmundan. Furthermore, through the comparison with the prize literature in Gaebyeok, we examine what the literary nature is, which could be reproduced in the colonial period, and try to define the characteristics of the readers' contribution section in Chosunmundan in a clearer fashion.
The last chapter examines the implications of the literary view which Chosunmundan tries to convey, based on the discussion in the preceding chapters. The literary view of Chosunmundan, which can be summarized as the 'aim at pure literature' and 'supporting arts,' was searching for the optimal meaning that literature can have as literature, and it should be what makes us look at it in positive way. In addition, by pinpointing the fact that the literary view of Chosunmundan was never formed as a counterpart for the literary intention of proletarian literature, but those two were mutually associated in the same periodic task, i.e., sometimes both co-existing and sometimes confronting with each other, and they shaped the contents of literature of the times, we indirectly criticize the discussion which puts KAPF (Korea Artista Proleta Federatio) in the center of the literary field in the middle of 1920's. This claim implies that the literary goal of Chosunmundan should also be given an significant status in the description of the literature of the 1920's which has only clearly noticed the literary views of Donginji and KAPF.
This thesis made an effort to understand Chosunmundan within the chart of modern media. By this dint, it not only assures that there is an undetachable relationship between the development of literature and that of media, but it makes an attempt to provide the possibility of reorganizing the history of the modern literature by focusing on the media. This study should be meaningful in the sense that it tries to apprehend the literary environment in the 1920's in more various ways, and expands the scope of examining literature by way of placing the media in the heart of study.