『햄릿』과 청소년 영소설 - 매튜 퀵(Matthew Quick)의 『용서해줘, 레너드 피콕』(Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock)을 중심으로

Hamlet and English Young Adult Novels : Focusing on Matthew Quick’s Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

This article explores Matthew Quick’s Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock in relation to William Shakespeare’s Hamlet within a context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The article begins with an overview of studies that investigate the connection between Hamlet and young adult novels in English-American academia. Despite the critical skepticism often directed at Shakespearean young adult novels, this research posits the notion that combining Shakespeare-inspired young adult novels with Shakespeare texts could be beneficial. The inclusion of Shakespearean young adult novels alongside Shakespeare texts has been shown to promote self-reflection and compassion for others. Furthermore, the educational impact of merging Shakespeare texts and Shakespearean young adult novels in EFL countries such as Korea can be amplified from the perspectives of both English education and cultural (literary) studies. The narrative of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock does not adhere to the storyline of Hamlet and does not borrow characters from Hamlet in a manner that is distinct from other Hamlet-inspired young adult novels that have been published since the 2000s. Nevertheless, it resonates strongly with the themes present in Hamlet, such as loss in the parent-child relationship, suicidal ideation, depression, despair regarding the world and humanity, and a yearning to defeat evil and achieve justice. This demonstrates that Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock serves as a creative response to Hamlet, while ensuring its accessibility and approachability to both young adults and EFL readers.