The meaning of the Road in the poem of Yoon Gon­-gang

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to reconsider the aesthetic meaning of Yoon Gong Gang’s poetry with attention on the aspect of “Road” in the Yoon’s poem. This problem setup bases on that eye of Yoon, who had worked during Japanese colonial and independent era, meets on the image of “Road” and that the poetic projection is done with it. The conflict aspect between colonial reality and ego, the traditionorient and groping of subjecthood, and the life aspect and hometown consciousness, etc. were extracted as inner drivers of Yoon’s poem. The summary of this study is below. First, the aesthetic meaning which extracted as a inner driver of Yoon’s poem is to reestablish conflict aspect between colonial reality and ego. The loneliness of poetic ego in his poem implies desire to get out of the colonial reality. Yoon shows conflict aspect of poetic ego about anguish and wandering in the colonial reality. The inner driver of “Road” motive in his poem is often expressed as ambivalence of poetic ego and the inner desire appears on the Road frequently. On this point, we can read the will of poet to accept the gloomy colonial reality critically and to grope progressive alternative. As a result, it is clear that the “Road” is the inner driver of him to grope conflict aspect of poetic ego. Second, the aesthetic meaning of the road motive on Yoon’s poem can be identified with traditionorient and groping of subjecthood. We can find a lot poems published on Piri and Saleori after independence, imitating Korean old songs such as Beakje gayo, Shilla hyangga, Goryo gayo. Yoon built his own poetic world on the process of selfreflection by imitating and accepting poetic diction, rhythm and rural area emotion actively. In Yoon’s poem, traditionorient is a central role on poetic transformation of independence area. Groping of subjecthood of poetic ego is understood as a will expression to conquest hopeless and boundless reality. Third, the Road motive on Yoon’s poem shows the life aspect and hometown consciousness, Human life is spoken as a twofold work of departure and comeback to hometown. So, the Road means not only superficial meaning on human life but also inner meaning as a path in life. As the Road on Yoon’s poem is on the land, the land would be a objective correlative which conceives infinite life like mother’s womb. Because the land, mother and hometown are located on central of Road motive, those make poetic space to consider aesthetic meaning of Yoon’s poem as a inner driver. Like this, the Road motive is located on the central space which constructs his poetic world, and he shows the life aspect and hometown consciousness with it.