근대 초기 설화·고전소설집 『조선물어집』의성격과 문학사적 의의

Abstract

The Folk Tales of Chosun(「朝鮮の物語集附俚諺」), an early modern anthology of tales and classic novels, was published by Takahashi Toru(高橋亨) in 1910, and is comprised of 24 folk tales, 4 classic novels and 500 proverbs. The tales have various characteristics; there are stories about tricksters, stories about divination by configuration of the ground and destiny, and stories that feature characters who are something lacking, as well as a wide variety of female characters. On the other hand, the stories that were abridged by Takahashi were rewritten based on Kyeongpanbon(京板本) as the original works. The significance of Folk Tales of Chosun in the history of literature in Korea can be explained as follows. First, the Folk Tales of Chosun is the first published anthology of tales and classic novels in modern times. We can see how the tales, once handed down by word-of-mouth, are preserved in the form of a written work through the Folk Tales of Chosun. Second, the Folk Tales of Chosun was a continuous influence, both positive and negative, on the Korean literature that followed. Third, the classic novels included in the Folk Tales of Chosun give us a hint as to how the first Korean novels were formed.