N. 레스코프의 소설 <왼손잡이>에 나타난 신조어와 사회적 방언 연구*

A Study on the Neologism and Social Dialects in the N. Leskov’s Novel <lefty>

Nikolai Leskov s novel <Lefty>, published in 1881, as can be seen from the subtitle, “The Tale of the Lefty and Steel Flea in the Tula region.” It is a story about a genius russian blacksmith, who put heels on steel flea’s shoes, which is a product of British science and Nano-art technology. M. Gorky evaluated Nikolai Leskov as a ‘magician of language’, who secured an independent position in the history of Russian literature with a realistic russian people s language, comparable to Tolstoy and other masters of Russian literature. In fact, Leskov helped his relative’s business and traveled all over Russia, deeply understood life in Russian villages and the language of the people. Leskov s works are recognized as difficult to translate due to his unique style and social dialects with strong local colors. Therefore, the study of the linguistic and stylistic characteristics of Leskov s work, who is praised as the most peculiar russian writer, will help to understand the russian language and culture of the Russian public and furthermore, understand the structure of consciousness and worldview of Russians. Leskov s representative work <Lefty> is a so-called ‘Leskov lexicon’. He composed various word-combination and neologisms for new conceptions, which has no reference and no notions. Despite the fact that <Lefty> has a novel form, the author himself named a ‘story(skaz)’ through the narrative form of ‘storytelling’ by putting the narrative narrator (storyteller) in the foreground and separating Leskov s own author s narrative. It is stylistic strategy to give probabilities and realism of the narrative. Leskov intentionally gives the impression that it is not fictitious made-up story. In the contrasting position of Alexander I, who believed in Western civilization’s superiority, and Nicholas I, who believed in the superiority of Russians, Leskov represents the confrontation of the ambivalent conceptions, such as ‘Westernism and Slavism’, ‘rationalism and sentimentalism’, ‘left and right’, and ‘reason and faith’. As a symbol of Russian people, <Lefty> has great implications. This study illuminates the Russian soul and mentality based on the study of neologisms and social dialects appearing in the work <Lefty> by Nikolai Leskov, the most peculiar russian writer in the history of Russian literature, who occupies an independent position in the history of Russian literature.