문정희 시의 원시주의와 신화적 여성성 연구 = A Study on Primitivism and Mythical Femininity in Moon Jeong-hee's Poetry

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In Moon Jeong-hee’s poetry, the female body and sex are not ‘women’ who are opposed to ‘men’ from a gender perspective. The signs of femininity that appear in her poetry are symbols that represent the essence and archetype of existence as a fundamental exploration of the nature of civilized humans. This paper explores the symbolism of feminine images in Moon Jeong-hee’s poetry from the perspective of Michael Bell’s concept of ‘primitivism’ and Erich Neumann’s ‘archetypal femininity.’ First, in poems that implement the mythical symbolic system of ‘female body=vessel=fertility’, the ‘great mother’ who protects and creates all life appears. The primitive and natural instincts of humans, unrefined unconsciousness and impulses are actively reproduced in this image of archetypal femininity, and in particular, ‘the round thing’ is the archetypal image of the great mother, leading to mountains and the moon, the female body and seeds, and the birth and fertility of life. In addition, the healthy body of a woman in the poem has a strong vitality that conforms to instinct and nature, and leads to a desire for a wild and strong man that matches it. This is contrasted with the pale and sickly body of the city, implying a negative consciousness toward civilized society. In addition, through the symbolic system of ‘water-moon-woman,’ the poet embodies the mythical totality of nature and humans becoming one, and the magical mystery of growth and change.
Moon Jeong-hee also attempts to fully restore mythical femininity by boldly revealing the ‘unholy’ identity of Circe, who was reduced to a ‘witch’ in patriarchal myths. In this way, Moon Jeong-hee’s poetry expresses criticism of civilized society through mythical femininity, as well as a desire to revive the essence and vitality of existence.