A. 먼로, A. 프루의 단편에 나타난 혐오

Abstract

By analyzing the two modern short stories—Alice Munro’s “Child’s Play” and Annie Proulx’s “Brokeback Mountain”—this paper aims to show that violent expression of disgust at home and in society is not an instinctive reaction, but something that is learned from the community. To make the case, this paper examines and cites Martha Nussbaum’s theory of disgust. Nussbaum delves into the feeling of ‘disgust’, arguing that emotion is not instinctive, but is the result of the action of thinking based on belief and understanding, and she categorizes the feeling of disgust into “primary disgust” and “projective disgust”. This study analyzes the process in “Child’s Play” whereby the protagonist unknowingly embodies disgust from the surrounding environment in childhood. Projective disgust is not only distinguishable from instinctive disgust, which is inherited genetically, but also works as a mechanism for solidarity and exclusion in groups. This paper also examines the ways in which disgust in “Brokeback Mountain” is transmitted and maintained through violence, preserves existing ideologies, and controls the life of the protagonist especially his fear of being an object of disgust.