근대 여성소설에 나타난 여성폭력 연구

Abstract

This paper examines the aspects of violence against women in modern patriarchal society appeared on the novels of Kim Myeong-soon, Na Hye-seok, and Kim Il-yeop through feministic methodology, and shows the correlation between the structure of violence and the violence itself while reviewing violent scenes in the works. Reactions of women as victims are covered in this paper as well. In Korean modern era, Kim Myeong-soon, Na Hye-seok, and Kim Il-yeop lived as modern women and liberal feminists and novelized the violence against women occurred in male-dominated society from a feminist point of view. Also, they accused ideology of power groups, social system, and violence by patriarchal individuals and were the pioneers in eradicating violence against women. Furthermore, they illustrated active women in their works who counteract to violence with subjectivity. In chapter two, the aspects of violence appeared in modern feminism novels are examined. In the first verse, this paper categorizes the types of characteristic violence in Kim Myeong-soon’s works in different themes. Individuals inflicted conventional violence, so called ‘Samjongjido’ — that women have to serve their father, husband, and son — and social discrimination to illegimate daughters in patriarchal society which forced women to maintain chastity, however, they were legitimized in the name of convention and morality. In the second verse, this paper examines the violences appeared in Na Hye-seok’s works. In these works, she described early marriage which ignored the opinion of young woman, verbal violence against modern women, and sexual violences. The author portrayed women’s lives as continuously declining ones through steps of ‘before marriage - marriage life - after being expelled from husband’s house’. It shows that women were victims of violence as long as they are treated as the other ones, not as subjects in patriarchal society. In the third verse, this paper categorizes the types of characteristic violence in Kim Il-yeop’s works in different themes. Those include compulsive purchasing marriage, coercion of chastity, sexual violence, treachery, and self-violence, which led women to mental death as well as physical death. The most frequently appeared violences in these three authors’ works are early marriage, purchasing marriage, and concubinage, all of which are exerted by patriarchal men. Next one is ideology of chastity which is forced to women because of the double standard for men and women. This violence extends to secondary violence such as blame and criticism against women who failed to maintain fidelity. Lastly, sexual violences that occurs from the idea that women exist only as sexual objects. It appeared as direct violences such as rape, but also as reputational, emotional, and viral ones. In chapter three, the reaction of women against violences are examined. The authors emphasized the importance and necessity of education to counteract patriarchal violences. Most women on their works are modern girls who were educated. As for traditional women, they change through education from the modern women and get aware of the importance of education. Also, the authors showed how sexual deviance of men defended by double standard could be violent to women. They urged the patriarchal society to be aware of the violences and to change the unequal society. Finally, one feature that calls interest in their works is the suicide of the main woman character. Kim Myeong-soon and Kim Il-yeop depicted woman who committed suicide as resistance of violence, while Na Hye-seok does not include the plot point. This is one of the differences among the authors. Na had no difficulty in economical or social state and tried to act stately as a subject in her life, so she was against the idea of abandoning life in any meaning. I have examined through the violences against women and the reactions by carefully analyzing works of Kim Myeong-soon, Na Hye-seok, and Kim Il-yeop and was able to see that modern women were not passive or conforming to gender inequality. This shows that the women as the other ones were the work of men who forced and educated women to be secondary people. Women recognized the pressure of patriarchal society as violence, and they led to the front to resist on violences against them, sacrificing their life, if needed.

Key words: violence against women, feminism, patriarchy, modern, convention, ideology, Women novels