이광수와 영문학 - 신문예로서의 조선문학 수립을 위한 춘원의 도정(道程)

Abstract

Lee Kwangsu(1892-1950) is generally regarded as the first important builder of modern Korean literature in the early twentieth century. Lee's pen name was Choonwon which means a spring garden. Choonwon was a very prolific novelist as well as a most influential man of letters in various themes and topics. In the 1910's Lee entered Waseda University in Japan majoring in philosophy, but he was exposed to Western literature. Lee was keenly interested in Anglo-Saxons and their language and literature. The purpose of this paper is thus to discuss Lee Kwangsu's preference to Anglo-American literature in relation to his own literary career and his concern for renovation of traditional literature for new modern literature in Korea colonized by Japan. Lee's case for Anglo-American literature could be an antidote to Japanese language and literature under Japanese colonial rule. According to Lee, the strength of Anglo-Saxons is fourfold: their love and respect of freedom, practicality, gradualism and social responsibility. He believed the gist of Anglo-American literature is the common sense with balance and check compared with French and German literatures. Lee wrote several essays concerning the superiority of Anglo-American literature for the new modern Korean literature in the 1920's and 30's. Lee read a lot of Anglo-American poets, dramatists and novelists including More, Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, Longfellow, Arnold, Wilde, Hardy and Lawrence. Lee Kwangsu himself devoted himself to practicing English. He wrote several English poems and kept English diary. He also wrote some lengthy scholarly essays in English. He translated several poems of Anglo-American poets including Wordsworth, Emerson and Whitman in Korean. He also put some parts of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin into Korean. Lee Kwangsu extolled Korean people and culture in Grass Roof(1931), the novel written by the first Korean-American novelist Younghill Kang. Lee wanted to globalize the Korean literature by translating Korean literary works into English. Lee thought that the quality of Korean literature is never inferior to any Western literature. The themes of Korean literature could bring generality and universality to the world readers. He did never want to imitate the Anglo-American literature but recreate the new Korean literature in his historical sense. Lee is sure to have an innovative view of comparative literature in the global perspective.