서정주 시의 민속적 상상력

A Study of Folk Imagination in Seo Jungju s Poems

In the poems of Seo Jungju, Punglyu is considered to be the attitude toward life which aims at oneness with nature. Punglyu is not a transcendental imagery that disregards human reality, but a view of the world which recognizes that nature, humans, and life are interconnected. Seo Jungju emphasizes the meaning of folk tradition by introducing the idea of Punglyu in his poems. His idea of Punglyu leads to a new discovery of tradition through folk. In his poems, charm is the organic principle of the universe that rules human life even though it cannot be explained by scientific laws. Seo Jungju puts the language of shamanism and charm in his poems based on this organic principle. The principle is that humans can have direct communication with the gods. In Seo Jungju s poems, shamanism is represented as the symbol of folk tradition which makes the place of daily life into a holy place through the act of charm. Materials for representing a traditional sentiment of folk tradition are often shown in Seo Jungju s poems. Through the elaboration of seasonal customs, he consistently demonstrates his desire for introspection. The choice of words in his poems also represents the power of charm that resolves people s deep sorrow through connection with their sentiment. Similarly, folk tradition retains the history of the past, the present and the future at the same time and shows a new flow by being created and transfigured in literature. This paper attempts to examine the relationship and the great significance between Korean modem poetry and folk tradition. Further in-depth study of folk tradition in Korean modem poetry is required in the future.