최명익 『서산대사』의 민중 형상화 연구

초록

The Great Master Seosan is Choi Myeong-ik’s first full-length novel and the first historical novel in North Korean literature to depict the Imjin War. Choi devoted three years of arduous effort to writing this novel, which remains significant, with editions published in South Korea, North Korea, and China’s Yanbian region. Through close textual analysis, this study examines the narrative characteristics, the embodiment of populism within the work, and the aspirations for popular democracy. The Great Master Seosan frequently overlays the present time of the 1950s with the past time of 1592 in its narration. Additionally, the author, who serves as the novel’s narrator, sometimes appears directly, adopting a format where the past story is conveyed from a contemporary perspective. To achieve an objective narration of the Imjin War, there are also sections presented from the perspective of the Japanese army. Through these narrative strategies, author Choi Myeong-ik actively revealed that a writer possessing modern self-awareness was reconstructing past events to narrate them in the present. Choi aimed to enhance readers’ historical understanding of past events and foster pride from a populist perspective. It is noteworthy that the key spatial setting of The Great Master Seosan extends beyond Pyongyang Fortress to encompass Jagyaksan village and the Botongbeol fields. Master Seosan organized the rightful army centered around Jagyaksan village and managed to harvest the Botongbeol fields despite the difficult circumstances to obtain grain. Master Seosan’s organization of a righteous army centered on Jagyaksan and the successful harvesting of Botongbeol underscore the primacy of food security for the common people during wartime. The populace depicted in The Great Master Seosan can be divided into three groups: monks, the Pyongyang Ten Commandments Monks, and nameless commoners. Monks, treated as the lowest class in Joseon society, became enraged by the deaths of the common people and stepped forward as the main force of the rightful army. The Pyongyang Ten Commandments Monks, previously only mentioned in historical records, are actively portrayed in The Great Master Seosan. Finally, nameless commoners such as Hwang Seobang, Kim Cheomji, and Park Seobang rise up as the main force of the resistance, the rightful army. These commoners form one central axis of the narrative in The Great Master Seosan. Choi Myeong-ik stated that the central theme of The Great Master Seosan is ‘the praise of the common people’. By depicting the common people rising as righteous armies during the Imjin War, Choi Myeong-ik hoped that the people of North Korea in the 1950s would advance toward strengthening the capabilities of people’s democracy. Therefore, it can be interpreted that the aspirations of the North Korean people in the 1950s for ‘people’s democracy’ are projected onto The Great Master Seosan.

키워드