春香傳 硏究 = A Study on the Story of Chun Hyang

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

UP TO THE PRESENT DAY, MANY STUDENTS OF KOREAN LITERATURE HAVE REPORTED ON THE STORY OF CHUN HYUNG FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW. NONETHELESS, THE TRUE PERSONALITY OF CHUN HYANG STILL REMAINS A MYTH. AS A MATTER OF FACT, OPINIONS ARE VARIED EVEN ON A MOST PRIMARY QUESTION AS TO WHAT IS THE THEME OF THE STORY OF CHUN HYANG. SOME CONSIDER IT TO BE A REVOLT AGAINST THE CLASS SYSTEM OR TO OTHERS IT IS CHASTITY OR FREE LOVE.
THERE MAY BE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY THE CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THE STORY HAS NOT PRODUCED SATISFACTORY RESULTS. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON SEEMS TO BE THE LACK OF PROPER METHODOLOGY. THEREFORE, THIS PAPER BORROWS FROM PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONALITY IN SEARCH OF A PROPER METHOD OF ANALYSIS.
OF THE CHARACTER IN THE STORY, THE ONE WHOSE PERSONALITY IS ANALYZED HERE IS THE HEROINE CHUN HYUNG, BECAUSE ALL THE PROBLEMATIC ASPECTS OF THE STORY EVENTUALLY BOIL DOWN TO THOSE OF THE HEROINE HERSELF AND BECAUSE THE MAIN POINT OF INTEREST IN THIS PAPER IS IN REVEALING THE PARADOXICAL ATTITUDE OF CHUN HYANG TOWARD THE TWO MAIN MALE CHARACTERS, YI MONG RYONG AND PYON HAK DO. WHILE GLADLY SUBMITTING TO YI'S COURTING, CHUN HYANG RESOLUTELY REFUSES TO PLEASE PYON, EVEN THOUGH HE IS FROM THE SAME YANGBAN CLASS.
THIS PARADOXICAL ATTITUDE OF CHUN HYANG BRINGS FORTH TWO QUESTIONS AS TO (1) WHETHER OR NOT CHUN HYANG APROVES OF THE FEUDALISTIC SOCIAL SYSTEM OF THE DAY, INCLUDEING CLASS STRUCTURE, AND (2) WHETHER OR NOT CHUN HYANG'S ATTITUDE TOWARD PYON MEANS A SACRIFICE ON HER PART FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE DOGMATIC IDEAS OF HER TIME, NAMELY LOYALTY AND CHASTITY. AGAIN, IF CHUN HYANG IS ASSUMED TO SURRENDER TO THE DOGMATISM, IS IT NOT POSSIBLE TO LABEL HER AS A WOMAN POSSESSING A SERVILE SPIRIT AND ACCORDINGLY DECIDE THAT THE STORY OF CHUN HYANG IS MERELY A LITERARY WORK DESIGNED TO CULTIVATE DOGMATIC ETHICAL CONSCIOUSNESS?
IN RELATION TO CHUN HYANG'S PARADOXICAL ATTITUDE, THE STRUCTURE OF HER PERSONALITY IS EXAMINED IN THIS PAPER FROM THE ASPECTS OF (1) TRAITS, (2) MOTIVES, AND (3) MODES OF ADJUSTMENT. CHUN HYANG HAS STRONG, AGGRESSIVE, AND POSITIVE TRAITS AS WELL AS A FATAL INFERIORITY COMPLEX ASSOCIATED WITH HER HUMBLE ORIGIN AND IS STRUGGLING TO ESCAPE FROM HER INFERIOR SOCIAL STATUS. IN TERMS OF MOTIVES, SHE CRAVES HIGH SOCIETY WHILE REALIZING LOVE WITH YI; IN OTHER WORDS, SHE IS PREOCCUPIED WITH AN ACHIEVEMENT NEED AND THE MOTIVE OF DEFENDING HERSELF FROM CONFLICTING OUTSIDE FORCE. AS FOR MODES OF ADJUSTMENT, SHE RESORTS TO DISPLACEMENT, RATIONALIZATION, AND COMPENSATION. AND CHUN HYANG'S CONSCIOUSNESS OF CHASTITY THAT SHE CLAIMS AT LEAST SUPERFICIALLY IS NOTHING BUT A MEANS OF REALIZING HER ACHIEVEMENT NEED, EMPLOYED FOR THE PURPOSE OF RATIONALIZING AND COMPENSATING HERSELF.
FINALLY, ATTENTION IS PAID TO THE STATE OF THINGS IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES WHICH GAVE BIRTH TO THE STORY OF CHUN HYANG. AS A RESULT, IT IS CLARIFIED THAT ALTHOUGH CONFUCIAN DOGMAS SUCH AS LOYALTY, FILIAL PIETY, AND CHASTITY WERE REVERED IN MIDDLE AND LOW CLASSES, INDIVIDUAL DESIRES TO ADVANCE TO HIGH SOCIETY THROUGH ECONOMIC WEALTH WERE STRONG ENOUGH, AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TIME WERE FAVORABLE FOR THE APPEARANCE OF A CHARACTER LIKE CHUN HYANG.
THUS, THE ULTIMATE VALUE OF THE STORY OF CHUN HYANG DOES NOT LIE IN ATTEMPTING TO REJECT OR CHANGE THE FEUDALISTIC ORDER AND VALUE ORIENTATION OF THE DAY, NOR IN UPHOLDING CONFUCIAN DOGMAS AT THE EXPENSE OF A YOUNG WOMAN. ITS REAL VALUE LIES IN DEPICTING THE EFFORT OF A WOMAN IN REALIZING HER ACHIEVEMENT NEED THROUGH INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT AND WILL. IN OTHER WORDS, THE STORY OF CHUN HYANG IS A WORK BASED NOT ON CONFUCIAN DOGMATISM BUT ON HUMANITY, AND CREATES THE IMAGE OF A HUMAN BEING IN GOSELLSCHAFT.