구비공식구로 본 <새끼 서 발> 설화의 인물 성격과 서사적 의미

Abstract

This provides an in-depth analysis of the characters and narrative significance of the Korean folktale Saekki Seo-Bal(An Unfinished Short Straw Rope) focusing on the oral-formulaic phrases of characters “Eating a meal in the warmer part and pooping in the colder part in the same room.” This oral-formulaic phrase, “Eating a meal in the warmer part and pooping in the colder part in the same room,” is fixedly and regularly combined with the folktales Saekki Seo-Bal and Chamkkaenamu(Sesame Tree). Therefore, the characters in the two folktales were named “Saekki Seo-Bal” type characters.
 The oral-formulaic phrase which appears in the character of Saekki Seo-Bal, is an essential binding element of the introductory narrative structure, linking to the success narrative of the ending section. This oral-formulaic phrase is not a rhetorical expression representing the character’s lazy behavior but a metaphorical expression of the character's deliberation or plan ahead of his social initiation. In other words, it defines the protagonist as an active person with emergent thinking who prepares to become independent from his mother and move into the world rather than as a problematic person with a lazy personality. This study interprets the folktale Saekki Seo-Bal, which is combined with the oral-formulaic phrase “Eating a Meal in the Warmer Part and Pooping in the Colder Part in the Same Room” as an initiation tale depicting a son growing from an individual to a social being.
 The social initiation process of characters consists of three stages: the preparatory stage for initiation, the stage of accumulating experiences and growth, and finally, social approval. In the first stage, characters prepare for social initiation through acts of oral-formulaic phrases. They demonstrate qualities as beginners in society by engaging in activities with materials provided by the community, such as “twisting straw ropes” in Saekki Seo-Bal and “sowing seeds” in Chamkkaenamu. The second stage appears in the narrative where the protagonist acquires the maiden who will become his wife through continuous bartering, starting with the “Saekki Seo-Bal.” Therefore, the character accumulates experience in solving problems in relationships with various others and grows into a social being with experience narratives that can solve any problem. In the third stage, the character’s abilities are tested through a “riddle bet” while returning to the community with the maiden who will become his wife. He eventually protects his wife and gains the approval of the social community as a marriage ritual.