초록 열기/닫기 버튼

This paper aims to examine early poems of Oh Jang-hwan from the perspective of disclosure of duplicity and desire from his first published poem 'Mokyokgan' (Public Bath) to first poem book Seongbyok(Castle Walls). The characteristics of Oh's early poems have been defined as criticizing or denying problematic tradition, however, without specifically designating the object of criticism or denial. This paper will specify the object as the duplicity of premodern and modern society and that various layers of desire are at the bottom of that duplicity. Here, the duplicity indicates the deceptive behaviors of Yangban, ruling class of premodern society who cover the desire of individual and group up with Confucian ideology and the strategy of segregation and separation of forced modernization hidden behind the glamourous exterior. Modern and premodern society are identical in that they are deceptive and hypocritical. Oh Jang-hwan's early poems criticize the universal desire of modern and premodern society by disclosing the duplicity. In 'Camera Room' and 'Mokyokgan', Oh describes the survival of premodern ideology which had already lost its value, class distinction, racial discrimination and the matter of desire in modern and premodern society. In 'Seongbyok'(Castle Walls), 'Jeongmoon'(Gate of Filial Piety) and 'Seongssibo'(Genealogical Record), he discloses deceptive behaviors of premodern ruling class, including himself. In 'Oncheonji'(Hot spring) and 'Suboo'(Capital), he reveals the strategy of class distinction and separation of modern society by contrasting the brightness and darkness of modern city. In this way, Oh Jang-hwan expresses his awareness of crisis in modern society. By including himself in the criticism on modern and premodern society, his crisis awareness shows tragic features and his criticism can be justified. This tragic features of Oh Hang-hwan's early poems is one aspect of aesthetic modernity closely related to the reality of Korea in mid 1930s.