『버드나무에 부는 바람』에 나타난 소음의 의미

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of noise in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, a representative work of the Edwardian era. From the perspective of the social context, noise in this novel can be divided into two aspects: collision noise caused by class conflict and mechanical noise created by technological civilization. During the Edwardian period, the conflict between the upper class and the working class was deepening while the advent of automobiles was ushering in a new era of technological civilization. At times, the class conflicts would erupt into noisy public demonstrations, even rebellion. Simultaneously, new technologies such as automobiles created noises never heard before in rural environments. All of these new noises disrupted the peace and contributed to a break - down in the stable class hierarchy and the idyllic tranquility of nature. Symbolically, these noises reflect Grahame’s fear of the destruction of the established ideology and the terror of industrialization. Grahame maintains a critical stance on society by depicting the issues of class conflict and industrialization as a cacophony that he wishes to eliminate.