1920〜30년대 일본을 통해 경성으로 들어온 근대를 가장 효과적이고 가시적으로 제일 먼저 드러낸 부류는 ‘신여성’이었다. 그들은 근대를 가장 빨리 접하고 소비한 계급이다. 이 때문에 외적근대는 여성과 신여성들을 구분하는 잣대가 되었고 이후 신여성은 비하·풍자의 대상으로 전락해 버렸다. 각종 매체에 의해 신여성은 ‘허영부리며 사치를 일삼는 자’들이 되었고 이 때문에 신여성들은 근대교육의 혜택을 많이 누리고 누구에게나 인정받을 만 한 사회적 지위를 지녔음에도 불구하고 그들이 ‘신여성’이라는 이유로 비난받기도 하였다. 이러한 사회분위기 속에서 신여성 그들은 스스로 자신들을 규정짓고 정의내릴 ‘내적근대성’을 갖춰야만 했다. 신여성이라 할 수 있는 여성작가들은 자신들의 문학 속에 신여성을 등장시킨다. 그들은 자칫하면 ‘가십’으로 치부될 수 있는 ‘신여성’이라는 문화적 산물을 외향적인 면보다는 ‘내적근대성’을 지닌 시대의 지식인으로 그려내려고 노력했다. 박화성은 자신의 자전적 소설인 『북국의 여명』 속에서 아무런 여과 없이 근대를 접해야했던 경성의 모습을 현실적으로, 거짓 없이 표현하려고 했으며 신여성들이 안고 살았던 내면갈등에 대해 이야기한다. 소설 속 신여성 효순은 외부로 드러나는 외적근대성 대신 삶에 대한 근대적인 태도를 지니려 노력한 인물이다. 그러나 그가 추구했던 ‘내적근대성’은 반쪽짜리에 불과했다. 그의 진보적 성향은 ‘자신보다 못한’ 여성들에게만 드러났을 뿐, 사회적 강자인 ‘남성’들에게는 신여성의 근대적인 삶의 방식이나, 사상 등에 관하여 전혀 영향을 미칠 수 없었다. 한쪽으로 치우쳐진 신여성의 근대성은 이렇게 양가적인 방식으로 존재했다. 이 글에서는 작가의 자전적 소설 『북국의 여명』을 통해 당시의 신여성이 과연 진정한 의미에서의 ‘신여성’이었는지 아니면 여성을 계몽하는 ‘작은 남성’에 불과했는지에 대해 고찰해보았다.

The class, which revealed the most effectively and visually the modern period, which entered Gyeongseong through Japan in the 1920〜30s, was ‘new women.’ They are the class that faced the modern times the fastest and consumed for the first time. Due to this, the external modern period became a measuring stick, which divides women and new women. And, this outgoing characteristic degenerated into the material that can humble and satirize new women. New women became ‘those who have a sense of vanity and indulge in extravagance’ by several media. In the face of having social standing that enjoys benefits much in modern education and is enough to be recognized by anyone, they could be criticized for a reason of being ‘new women.’ In the midst of this social atmosphere, they themselves needed to be equipped with ‘inner modernity’ that will prescribe and define themselves. Female writers, who can be said to be new women, allow new woman to appear in their literatures. They strived to describe the icon called ‘new woman,’ which can be regarded as ‘a habitual topic’ at the slightest slip, as the intellect in the period, who have ‘inner modernity’ rather than the outgoing aspect. Park Hwa-seong tried to express the looks of Gyeongseong, which did need to face the modern times without any filtration, realistically and without a lie in 『Dawn of the North Country』, which is her autobiographical novel, and talks about the inner conflict with which new women needed to live. Hyosun, who is a new woman in novel, is a character who strived to have the modern attitude toward life instead of the outgoing modernity, which is revealed outwardly. However, ‘inner modernity,’ for which she sought, was just a half. Her progressive propensity was revealed only in women ‘inferior more than her.’ The way or the thought in new woman’s modern life couldn’t have influence at all upon ‘men’ who are the social strong. New woman’s modernity, which was biased to one side, existed in this ambivalent way. Through 『Dawn of the North Country』 that is the writer’s autobiographical novel, this study tried to consider about whether new women at that time were the ‘new women’ on earth in a true sense, or were just ‘small men’ who enlighten women.

The class, which revealed the most effectively and visually the modern period, which entered Gyeongseong through Japan in the 1920〜30s, was ‘new women.’ They are the class that faced the modern times the fastest and consumed for the first time. Due to this, the external modern period became a measuring stick, which divides women and new women. And, this outgoing characteristic degenerated into the material that can humble and satirize new women. New women became ‘those who have a sense of vanity and indulge in extravagance’ by several media. In the face of having social standing that enjoys benefits much in modern education and is enough to be recognized by anyone, they could be criticized for a reason of being ‘new women.’ In the midst of this social atmosphere, they themselves needed to be equipped with ‘inner modernity’ that will prescribe and define themselves. Female writers, who can be said to be new women, allow new woman to appear in their literatures. They strived to describe the icon called ‘new woman,’ which can be regarded as ‘a habitual topic’ at the slightest slip, as the intellect in the period, who have ‘inner modernity’ rather than the outgoing aspect. Park Hwa-seong tried to express the looks of Gyeongseong, which did need to face the modern times without any filtration, realistically and without a lie in 『Dawn of the North Country』, which is her autobiographical novel, and talks about the inner conflict with which new women needed to live. Hyosun, who is a new woman in novel, is a character who strived to have the modern attitude toward life instead of the outgoing modernity, which is revealed outwardly. However, ‘inner modernity,’ for which she sought, was just a half. Her progressive propensity was revealed only in women ‘inferior more than her.’ The way or the thought in new woman’s modern life couldn’t have influence at all upon ‘men’ who are the social strong. New woman’s modernity, which was biased to one side, existed in this ambivalent way. Through 『Dawn of the North Country』 that is the writer’s autobiographical novel, this study tried to consider about whether new women at that time were the ‘new women’ on earth in a true sense, or were just ‘small men’ who enlighten women.

Park Hwa-seong, Dawn of the North Country, New woman, Modern fashion, Inner modernity