雲養 金允植 散文 硏究

Abstract

Kim Yun-sik(1835~1922) is one of the famous writers in the late 19th century of Korea. But the studies on his literature was not abundant. In my guess there are two reasons in that situation. First he wrote poems and prose works in chinese character, second his activity as a bureaucrat was suspicious as unpatriotic. In spite of these problems, I think that his works are worth studying in our time. Because he had made great efforts on investigation about literary theory and as a result he wrote a lot of literary works.

In this study I focused on his prose writings. Because a major portion of his comments on literature were works on prose. His literary theory had been called "through literature to tao(reason)", it means that in the event literature can function as a key to truth. Comparatively speaking his theory recognized significance of literature. But it was not compared with theory in modern times, and in his times the reality of tao was suspicious. So he had to make an great efforts to his ends in his literary works.

From the examination on his prose writings, I could conclude that his efforts to his ends had some ways. First, he utilized various literary styles to express his thought without boundary. Second, he tried to defeat a narrow-view by magnifying the visual field. And that was aimed to enlarge the intellectual horizon eventually. Third, he stressed the literary energy and for the expansion of it he utilized various types of language-connection. For example definition, explanation, analogy etc. But these types of writing were not simply rhetorical things. In a way these are results of his efforts for searching the ways to tao through literature.

It is clear that his theory and works had not entire originality. In a strict sense he was tried to be a successor of Park Ji-won(朴趾源), but the social and mental condition of his times were not those of 18th century Korea. Especially conception and role of literature were different in these two eras. So his writings are not highly evaluated in preset times. But I think that some ways to development and variation of writing in present times are found in precise study of his theory and works. Because those were not made under the influence of western literature. This essay is to be first step to accomplish these aims.