구전담을 통한 이철영 선생의 생애 이해 = Understanding the Life of Lee Cheol- Young through Orally Transmitted Stories

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study is intended to provide a better understanding of a person from modern Korean times through orally transmitted stories. The subject is Lee Cheol-Young, who lived from 1884 to 1945. His life period was coincident with that of the Japanese colonial rule of Korea. He is chiefly known as a supporter of the anti-Japanese movement. Unlike other anti-Japanese activists, his life is little known and even today he remains a mysterious figure. This is why I had to approach his story through orally transmitted materials rather than written ones.
The core of his patriotic deed was that he tore the 'Korea-Japan Annexation' notice to pieces, was subsequently arrested by Japanese policemen, bue escaped after killing them. His story is, unfortunately, orally transmitred and there is no evident record of him. Therefore, orally transmitted materials are very useful to gain a better understanding of him. The approach through orally transmitted materials aims not only at discovering more historical facts about his life but also at understanding how his life has been narrated.
In the course of acquiring orally transmitted materials from his descendents, some new facts were discovered about him. Although fragmental and scanty, they were compared with existing materials and some contributed to a more specific understanding of his life. As a result of analyzing the stories and episodes found in the materials, they revealed both 'typeness' and 'narrativeness' by exaggeration. This is a result of the fact that a historical figure is often recognized by his family as an extraordinary one and his deeds are exaggerated in the course of oral transmission. This also shows a process where a mere 'episode' is converted into a 'legend' in the course of oral transmission. However, the level of narrative conversion into a legend is not critical.