｢김원전｣의 흥미 요소 고찰

Abstract

Kimwonjeon is a story of a protagonist, Kim Won, who wins the confrontation with the evil character through his extraordinary ability and the help of a supporting character and ends up in an amicable relationship with the two female characters. This story organically structured the plot by arranging various types of characters rather than simply enumerating the motifs. It implies that the interest factors of tales familiar to the readership are developed into novelistic features. Firstly, the protagonist was embodied by inheriting the narrative tradition of heroic characters. The story structure of a hero's journey whose life undergoes trials at a young age but escapes from the crisis with helpers and achieves something great based on his outstanding abilities. Kim Won's oviparity and conquest were used to enhance his heroism. Secondly, the antagonist in the story was put into a process called characterization to create an adversary of the protagonist. What draws readers' attention is the enormous appearance and power of the monster and the detailedly described underworld while simultaneously arousing curiosity about how Kim Won would defeat such a strong presence. The stunning portrayal of the antagonist is to embody the protagonist's activities against it in a more exciting way. Thirdly, female characters in the story play a role in making the narrative more vivid. The princess contributes to exterminating the monster, devotes herself to Kim Won, and supports her parents-in-law. The princess of the Sea God even leaves her hometown at Kim Won's request and plays a significant role in reviving him. In this way, the two female characters, the princess and the princess of the Sea God, are actively involved in making the story more interesting. By embracing narrative elements into the classic novel, Kimwonjeon established a worldview that readers would be enthusiastic about. The protagonist who descended from the celestial realm defends the ideology of loyalty, filial piety, and fidelity in the process of performing heroic activities in unique spaces such as the underground world and the underwater world, and returning to the earthly world to enjoy wealth and glory. The Confucian perspective was set up so that the protagonist and female characters protect it, naturally pleasing readers' desires.