웹툰의 고전서사 수용과 변주

초록

This study set out to analyze convergence storytelling found in the acceptance and variation process of classical narrative in webtoon works that used them as materials. Most of classical narratives used as materials in webtoon works are stories with fantasy elements such as goblins, legendary foxes with nine tails, ghosts, and shamans. Many of them are widely known including Heungbujeon, Simcheong jeon and The Woodcutter and The Fairy. Webtoons make a unique genre with the fusion of published cartoons and web's digital features, being a user-centric medium. As a digital medium, webtoons have the characteristics of convergence and interactivity, which are closely related to the creation and enjoyment of webtoons among digital natives that are main users of webtoons in their teens or twenties. Digital natives connect different stories in the hypertext method and create new content in the process of creating and enjoying webtoons with classical narratives as their materials. As their characteristics are reflected in webtoons based on classical narratives, these webtoons provide convergence storytelling, which is to combine and transform individual stories into a single story with the common time and space in the background. In webtoons, the narratives are developed in convergence storytelling for the setting of situations and the deviation and expansion of stories including characters, causes of events, time and space, fantasy world views, and exploratory narratives with the move of steps. Digital natives alter and recreate classical narratives based on their digital thinking, presenting new creativity via classical narra tives. It is not mending stories, distorting original texts, and dropping their quality. They create their new culture and their own storytelling method by growing out of the traditional approach to storytelling, combining various cultural elements, and fusing the heterogeneous narratives of different areas together.

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