This article treats the literary criticism of Im Hwa after mid 1930s. It is well-known that the reconstruction of the subject was one of the most important themes of his literary criticism. He established a base of criticism by combining two matters, ...
This article treats the literary criticism of Im Hwa after mid 1930s. It is well-known that the reconstruction of the subject was one of the most important themes of his literary criticism. He established a base of criticism by combining two matters, subject and realism, which was behind continuous speculations about the triumph of realism of 0Balzac suggested by F. Engels. One of his important critical reviews, `The Great Romantic Spirit`, insisted revolutionary romanticism and expressed his intense expectation of triumph of realism. Also, `The Recognition of Realism` and `The Reconstruction of the Subject and the World of Literature` offered a realism which could lead a writer to the right world view, which was called the reconstruction of the subject by realism by Im Hwa himself. What counts is that he insisted the reconstruction of the subject based on the triumph of realism. In the meantime, The Gap of Intention and Work and the Criticism` in 1938 suggested a deconstructive way of reading about the triumph of realism. This writing also offered sacred surplus: As the border between text and criticism was destroyed, the unconscious of the text appeared. This scene can be called one of the monuments of the history of Korean modern literary criticism.