『홍길동전』에 반영된 作家精神 = 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』, an window to Heo Gyoun's inner world

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Literature mirrors the world. Literary works are deeply entangled with social phases surrounding its creators. An author wades through his times and gives shapes to what he have gone through. He is situated incessantly, face to face, with all those inconsistencies and irrationalities of this world. The way how he grasps his circumstances affects the nature of his creative work. In short, a product of an author is a direct outcome of its creater's appreciation of his world. Thus, inquiring into the relations between a literary work and its writer is a first and reliable step toward a perfect understanding of a product.
『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』, the first novel in Hangul, is known as a product of Heo Gyoun(1569-1618). Departing from the literary writing practices of fantastic fictional life story which was prevalent then, he took a new literary perspective which focused on social problems and digested them into a product which was full of social consciousness and drew wide popularity. His new attitude toward novel writing distinguished his work from any other novels preceding his in point of writers mentality. The object of this dissertation lies in probing his novel, 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』, and filtering out his writing attitude.
Chapter 2 deals with Heo Gyoun's life, most of which was devoted to representing impoverished and alienated populace of the 16 · 17th century Chosun dynasty which was a period of political and social turmoil. He called for egalitarianism among people and tried to reform corrupt and irrational social system.
The social backdrop of 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』 is the main theme of chapter 3 Heo Gyoun lived times replete with political strife resulted from disruptions and antagonism of nobilities. It was, also, a period of war, Imjinwoeran-war, which scorched the peninsular to the ground. Worsening the circumstances, corrupt officials extorted the public, pushing them over the brink of misery. Heo Gyoun critically watched the era and stood against the injustices by writing 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』.
Chapter 4 contemplates the mentality of Heo Gyoun as a writer.
First clause of chapter 4 studies the mental make-up of Heo Gyoun as reflected in his calling for the annulment of discrimination against those born out of noble wedlock, and manifest in his mental posture, egalitarianism. 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』, depicts an imaginary heroic life of Hong Gil-dong who was born as an illegitimate but eventually reached the position of defense minister who later founded a country was named 'Youldoguk'. For his contemporaries, the plot was out of the question, a too-far-long shot given the social fabric of those era, but he tried to an ardent advocate for his notion that all men, regardless of what social classes they belong to, should be able to lead decent lives just on the grounds that they are human.
Second clause of chapter 4 studies his thoughts reflected in his conception of 'Hwhalbindang' and social reform. Heo Gyoun was a man who gave his best shot at reforming the Chosun-dynasty to which he belonged. His revolutionary thoughts is best shown at his mobilizing his private force, 'Hwhalbindang', to maraud 'Haein temple' and 'Hamgyung province office' and seize treasures. They were used to relieve the poor. Introducing such drastic concept, he , in fact, gave admonition to corrupt leaders to stay away from the same wrong tracks taken by the fictional covetous officials and it was also a manifestation of his will to correct the unfair social and economic system of his times.
Third clause of chapter 4 pores over his concept from the point of view of establishing 'Youldoguk' and 'making dreams come true'. The most unique part of this novel shows Hong Gil-dong leave his country, conquer a foreign country, and establish 'Youldoguk', a brave new world. The country was portrayed as a ideal one, free from all the irrationalities of Chosun dynasty. It is a place where ideal things, unfeasible in Chosun dynasty, could take place to full capacity and where all humanity want to enter into. Beyond revealing then Chosun dynasty's problems he created an fancy country, 'Youldoguk', as a place on which he could substantialize his reforming will wishfully.
Third clause of chapter 4 examines this novel as the first one written in Hangul, Korean Alphabet, which was despised among the nobilities as a base medium for literature, and as an innovator of cultural frontier spirit. He consciously had in mind the belief that an author should use his everyday language and be able to reach his readers emotionally by his own creative talent. And he knew that accessibility, which comes from simpleness and taste, is a precondition to let the public sympathize with his will to reform. His reformist understanding of literature and life was the backdrop of the 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』.
This story, laden with the author's sense of his world, had deep impact on other literary works afterwards. A study on 『Life story of Hong Gil-dong』 could serve as an examplary work when we try to grasp the connection between literature and society, and literary work and its author's mental make-up. Not only will this story be remembered as a first novel written in Hangul, but as a product molded by Heo Gyoun's brave and reformist will, and imbued by his clear understanding on literature. This is a work which deserve our lasting attention and enduring affection.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 目次
• Ⅰ. 서론 = 1
• 1. 연구의 목적과 의의 = 1
• 2. 연구사 검토 및 연구방법 = 2
• Ⅱ. 허균의 삶 = 7
• 1. 가문과 성장과정 = 7
• 2. 삶의 태도와 교유관계 = 12
• Ⅲ. 『홍길동전』의 형성배경 = 19
• 1. 사회·역사적 배경 = 19
• 2. 창작동기 = 24
• Ⅳ. 『홍길동전』에 반영된 작가정신 = 27
• 1. 적서차별 철폐와 인간평등 정신 = 27
• 2. 활빈당 활동과 사회개혁 정신 = 37
• 3. 율도국 건설과 이상실현 정신 = 48
• 4. 국문체 소설과 문화개혁 정신 = 54
• Ⅴ. 결론 = 63
• 參考文獻 = 65
• ABSTRACT = 69