This paper paid attention to the indicator of fantasy and the aspect of fantasy in Korean early narrative. This is a part of research to understand that the characteristic of Korean fantasy literature has been continued from the historical root as a p...
This paper paid attention to the indicator of fantasy and the aspect of fantasy in Korean early narrative. This is a part of research to understand that the characteristic of Korean fantasy literature has been continued from the historical root as a product of self identity. This attempt is also a first journey to establish the unique fantasy character of our classical literature by going beyond the research environment that had been discussed based on western fantasy theory. For this, this research firstly bundled up the indicators of East Asian illusion. The objects that were paid attention to since the earliest period were ghost, monster, etc., which materials were the major indicators in respect that they gradually realized concrete fantasy narration. At first, there was a dispute from whether of substantiality of these fantasy indicators to the problem of human awareness on the objects. While doing so, Taoism and Buddhism that were established during Six Dynasties created a new fantasy objects(幻物), i.e. ``Taoist hermit(神仙)`` and ``Avalokitesvara (觀音)``. These were reestablished as the variation of different world(異界), namely ``Taoist hermit``s world(仙界)`` and ``afterlife(冥界)``, being harmonized with the motif of ``dream`` and ``transformation``. This was the short strange narrative of Six Dynasties, the prelude of East Asian fantasy literature. These fantasy indicators also have formed early Korean fantasy literature by being continued to Korean early narrative, i.e. Suijeon and Samgukyusa. In the case of Suijeon, extraordinary materials such as ``Taoist magic(神術)``, ``Tragical sudden death(暴死)``, ``Transformation(變身)``, etc. appear sporadically in each work. However, The view of life and death of shamanism is showing undifferentiated state by being mixed with Buddhist miracle world. This material shows a structured tendency in a more refined narrative system in Samgukyusa. This is established the whole story with Buddhist divine effect tale and enables common people as well as Buddhist monks to experience fantasy by the miracle subjects of Buddhism, e.g. Avalokitesvara and God(天帝). In this framework, specific materials -transformation, dream, different world, other material, and ghost, etc.- show integrated aspect through more complex stages. To sum up, fantasy materials were carved as a still cut in Suijeon by literally realizing fantasy materials, they were established in a panorama shape in Samgukyusa. Naturally, The differences of fantasy image and sense of beauty along with it could be expected. However, in case of Korean early fantasy story, Buddhist divine effect narrative is prevalent, with almost no Taoism narrative. In other words, the researcher considers that desires of people of that time were integrated through Buddhist divine effect narrative and its fantasy world. but these works are not always the output of fantastic desire of common people, as the result of emphasizing the benefit of Buddhism. This could be probably the collective and personal expression of comfort against very hard reality of that time, which was a Buddhist society, on the contrary, a point should not be overlooked, either, that it could be an illusion that the desire of upper class created by eliminating the desire of the lower class. The fantasy of early Korean narrative could be established with more distinct image when it is treated along with jeongiseosa (傳奇敍事) such as Choichiwon(崔致遠) appeared in the same period which can be said to be an unity of Confucian literary intellectuals`` awareness.