역할하기와 자아의 구원문제: 헨리 제임스의 『과거의 의미』를 중심으로

Role-Playing and the Redemption of the Self in Henry James"s The Sense of the Past

&nbsp;&nbsp;In Henry James&quot;s unfinished novel, The Sense of the Past (1917), the hero, Ralph Pendrel plays the role of his ancestor in the past, which constitutes the main plot of the work. What is the meaning of Ralph&quot;s role-playing? What does Henry James try to tell readers through the presentation of the two Ralphs? This essay aims to investigate these critical questions and show that this seemingly ghost novel is actually James&quot;s exploration of self and its redemption.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;This essay first examines the relationship between Ralph in the present and Ralph in the past. It suggests that, although they have a mirror image, Ralph in the past is the self containing the alter ego that represents the desire that Ralph in the present has repressed. In this respect, in order to understand self, it is necessary for Ralph who plays the role of his ancestor to meet and have conflicts with various characters of the past in the old house in Mansfield Square. This essay also investigates the meaning of Ralph&quot;s journey into the past. I try to illustrate that the house is a museum and many things hidden in one&quot;s self are formed in the past.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;In this house Ralph ultimately comes to have the complete sense of the self, not to be a victim of the sense of the past, through his role-playing of the ancestor in the past. James&quot;s insight into the question of the self further indicates that the redemption of the self requires the relationship with other people and love. This article demonstrates how Ralph&quot;s redemption is completed by his relationships with other characters and love, not just by his journey into self. For this purpose, I interrogate the dynamics of the relationships between Ralph and other characters. Especially Ralph&quot;s relationships with Aurora and Nan are indispensable to his redemption of the self.