ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

This essay explores the meaning of “Ireland” in the novels and criticism of a Korean novelist, Kim Sa-ryang. I compare the language environment and the nationalistic horizons faced by this writer from colonial Joseon and some Irish writers, such as James Joyce. In the novel, CheonMa written by Kim Sa-ryang, there is a dialogue about the use of Celtic by Irish writers. In the dialogue, Lee Myung-sik, the protagonist of this novel, explains the context of the Irish writer’s use of Celtic. His insistence on keeping Korean language and culture can be regarded as resistance to pro-Japanese writers claiming to write only in Japanese. Conversely, Kim’s criticism deals with language problems in more specific ways than his novels. He used Irish culture, including “Irish slang,” as a means of protecting Korean language and Joseon culture from oppression. However, in reality, Irish writers such as James Joyce, Yates, and Bernard Shaw distanced themselves from strong nationalistic movements. They also fully understood the universal power of the English language. Overall, they were critical of the Irish situation. Kim Sa-ryang, however, saw nationalism and the mother language (Korean) as more important than universality or cultural sophistication. The aspects of the two colonial languages being used and invoked in the process of competing with the languages of colonial empires were different in Ireland and colonial Korea. Unlike Gaelic, Korean was a living and universal language in colonial Korea. There was also a notable difference in the language environment between Irish diaspora writers and Korean-Japanese writers. The “Island” in Kim’s writing reveals the subtle cultural difference.

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