This study focuses on melancholy factors in the early works of Seo Jung-in, and ultimately on exploration of his critical attitude toward modernity. Characters in Seo's works tend to be melancholy and ask constantly the reason why they are afraid of and nervous. They are gloomy wanderers trying to analyze the heart of capitalistic reality, crossing boundaries between urban and rural areas and realms of reality and illusion. As a conclusion of this exploration, they diagnose that the fear and feeling of lack are typical symptom that were derived from the very beginning of civilization. They reveal corrupted and capitalized material civilization which is completely governed by money and power, and criticize the condition where they entirely are of no freedom. In scheming and calculating system of capitalistic society, they eventually reach the state that all possible kinds of passion get vanished. Chronical ennui where these process finally reach and examination of death organize the heart of the novels. Totally deprived state lacking any possibility of choice leads the angle to thorough reflection on the death of human being. As stated above, melancholic emotion which is mainly dealt with here shows gloomy-hidden side of capitalism. The world of melancholy represents the melancholy of corrupted and disordered capitalism. This is significant that not only because it organizes the earlier works of Seo, but also has established his entire literary sphere and the heart of his theory on literature. Seo's cautious attitude toward words' deprivation and his willingness to heal them are correspondent to remedy of whole civilization's symptom. This is ultimate point that his work pursues, by focusing on symptoms of whole civilization and trying to heal them with literary order. The depressing diagnosis declares that this condition will not be ended in any time soon and supports the necessity of literature paradoxically. Therefore we can assume that melancholy in Seo's early works is the world of melancholy in itself and emphasizes aesthetic criticism on modernity by placing negative-compromise with its own time. In this way, examination on other writers of 1960s will be also meaningful as comparison with other contemporary writers. The difference in sensibility among writers would much more distinguishable with this approach and we may be able to expect thorough reading without prejudice and categorizing at the same time.

This study focuses on melancholy factors in the early works of Seo Jung-in, and ultimately on exploration of his critical attitude toward modernity. Characters in Seo's works tend to be melancholy and ask constantly the reason why they are afraid of and nervous. They are gloomy wanderers trying to analyze the heart of capitalistic reality, crossing boundaries between urban and rural areas and realms of reality and illusion. As a conclusion of this exploration, they diagnose that the fear and feeling of lack are typical symptom that were derived from the very beginning of civilization. They reveal corrupted and capitalized material civilization which is completely governed by money and power, and criticize the condition where they entirely are of no freedom. In scheming and calculating system of capitalistic society, they eventually reach the state that all possible kinds of passion get vanished. Chronical ennui where these process finally reach and examination of death organize the heart of the novels. Totally deprived state lacking any possibility of choice leads the angle to thorough reflection on the death of human being. As stated above, melancholic emotion which is mainly dealt with here shows gloomy-hidden side of capitalism. The world of melancholy represents the melancholy of corrupted and disordered capitalism. This is significant that not only because it organizes the earlier works of Seo, but also has established his entire literary sphere and the heart of his theory on literature. Seo's cautious attitude toward words' deprivation and his willingness to heal them are correspondent to remedy of whole civilization's symptom. This is ultimate point that his work pursues, by focusing on symptoms of whole civilization and trying to heal them with literary order. The depressing diagnosis declares that this condition will not be ended in any time soon and supports the necessity of literature paradoxically. Therefore we can assume that melancholy in Seo's early works is the world of melancholy in itself and emphasizes aesthetic criticism on modernity by placing negative-compromise with its own time. In this way, examination on other writers of 1960s will be also meaningful as comparison with other contemporary writers. The difference in sensibility among writers would much more distinguishable with this approach and we may be able to expect thorough reading without prejudice and categorizing at the same time.

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Seo Jung-in, April 19 revolution, Literature in 1960s, Sensibility, Melancholy, Fear, Feeling of loss, Deprivation, Ennui, Vanished Passion, Criticism on capitalistic modernity