프루스(B. Prus)의 회심자(Nawrocony)와 디킨스의 크리스마스 캐롤(A Christmas Carol) 비교 연구

A comparative study of Nawrocony by Boleslaw Pruns and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Prus(1845-1912) is the most important Polish novelist in the period of positivism (realism). He is famous for his novels such as "The Doll", "Pharaoh" and "the post". Before writing novels, he published many short stories. He is self-educated. For his knowledge of literary craft he accredited J. I. Kraszewski, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens above all. The hero of "Nawrocony" Lukasz is a Polish version of Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol". In a dream, Lukasz was in hell, from hence he was expelled, as no devil wants to have Lukasz in his hell. Even the devil is ashamed of Lukasz, because he is too greedy and egoistic to give a pair of threadbare slippers to an old and sick beggar. After he wakes up from the dream, he realizes that his money and possessions are only a heavy burden to him. He wants to be rid of the heavy burden and gives 13 ruble to two people with whom he has troubles with. But at might he returns to a greedy and egoistic old man. Here we can find the difference between Lukasz and Scrooge who is not by instinct greedy and egoistic. Scrooge was ashamed of his having behaved so badly to his clerk, nephew, a beautiful girl who loved him and so on, when he was with the Ghosts. But Lukasz has never felt regret for his greed, shamelessness and egoism.