<조완벽전(趙完璧傳)>의 텍스트와 문학적 의미 연구

Abstract

Cho Wan-beok Jeon depicted the life of a captive through the story of Cho Wan-beok, who was taken captive and brought to Japan, and later had experiences in Vietnam. Three factors were analyzed in this study. First, I studied the process of creation of Cho Wan-beok Jeon. Cho Wan- beok was brought to Japan as a captive in 1597, and returned in 1607 with an envoy dispatched by the Chosun government. His life as a captive and his experiences in Vietnam became widely known among literary men in Korea. Cho Wan-beok told Kim Yun-an what he himself saw and experienced, and Kim Yun-an then relayed the story to Jeong Sa-shin and Lee Jun. In 1611, these two men wrote Cho Wan-beok Jeon and Gi-Cho Wan-beok, respectively, based on the story. Lee Su-kwang wrote a third account, also titled Cho Wan-beok Jeon, between 1611 and 1614. Second, from a comparative analysis of Cho Wan-beok Jeon by Jeong Sa-shin and Cho Wan-beok Jeon by Lee Su-kwang, the two works both emphasize the life of Cho Wan-beok as a captive, his experiences in Vietnam, and the itinerary of his voyage. However, in terms of the composition of the story and the specific details that are included, we can find many differences between the two works. In terms of content, Lee Su-kwang’s account is richer than Jeong Sa-shin’s. Lee Su-kwang recorded the customs of the Vietnamese people in detail, and took more of anatural history perspective. In addition, he placed a greater emphasis on factual details, frequently supporting the story with historical events, and the specific names of people and places. On the other hand, Jeong Sa-shin narrated the story of Wan-beok entering a contract with a Japanese owner and getting on the merchant ship, the appearance of Vietnamese women, the itinerary of the voyage and the legend of the monster in great detail. Moreover, the two works showed discernable characteristic differences. Jeong Sa-shin’s was strong as an epic story, while Lee Su-kwang’s was stronger as an essay, thanks to its focus on historical detail. Third, I studied the literary meaning of Cho Wan-beok Jeon. An outstanding element of both stories was the theme of the discovery of a new world. Several stories surrounding the accounts of Cho Wan-beok Jeon were described, including a meeting with the envoy of Vietnam, the fact that Lee Su-kwang’s poems became a sensational hit in Annam, the social conditions and customs in Vietnam, and several strange events experienced during the course of the voyage. In terms of the story’s significance as the recording of a captive life, Cho Wan-beok entered into a contract with a tradesman and became employed in marine commerce due to the fact that he could read Chinese characters, which was quite an extraordinary experience for a captive. The influence of these accounts on future Korean novels was also studied. The experiences in Vietnam and the marine voyages depicted in Cho Wan-beok Jeon indirectly influenced the creation of Choi Chuk Jeon by stimulating the imagination of novelist Cho Wi-han.