옛이야기의 시각적 재화 - Charles Perrault의「푸른 수염」을 중심으로 -

Visual Retelling of Fairy Tales: A Study of Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard

본 연구는 옛이야기가 시각적으로 재화될 때 그 해석의 다양성이 어느 정도까지 가능한지를 세권의 그림책을 중심으로 보여주는 것을 목표로 한다. 프랑스 작가 Perrault의 옛이야기「푸른 수염」을 선텍스트로 삼아서, 시각적 차원에서만 재화된 프랑스 그림책 세 권을 중심으로 분석을 시도하였다. 시각적 재화는 내러티브 차원과 메타내러티브 차원으로 나누어 분석하였다. 내러티브는 차원에서는, 시각적 표현들이 서사 전개 및 리듬에 어떤 영향을 끼칠 수 있는지를 분석하였으며, 메타내러티브 차원에서는 시각적 재해석을 통해 선텍스트인 옛이야기의 기저를 이루는 지배적 이데올로기와 재화 당시의 지배적 담론의 차이를 보여줄 수 있는지를 살펴보았다. 결국, 시각적 재화는 단지 텍스트 내용을 시각적 기호를 통해 복제(reproduction)하는 것이 아니라, 그림 작가의 시선으로 선텍스트를 재해석(reversion)한 것임을 알 수 있었다.

The purpose of this research was to study the visual retelling of fairy tales when they are adapted to picturebooks. Fairy tales are often used as an initial text, a pre-text for retelling stories like myths, biblical stories and classic works of literature: they have survived for hundreds of years through adaptations into various forms of art. This study in particular analyzed three French fairytale picturebooks of which the pre-text is Perrault's Bluebeard. The story is not rewritten but illustrations are added to the initial text in order to form iconotexts, that is, are telling in terms of pictures. Fairy tales are retold visually in iconotexts with the two following dimensions: the first is the narrative, namely the organization of double-page spreads and the use of colors; the second is the metanarrative which is defined as the values and ideals of a given cultural and linguistic community. In terms of double-page spreads, one of the important episodes of Bluebeard is divided differently, depending on the illustrators. In other words, the same episode can be visually represented in a double-page spread or more than two double-page spreads. This has an effect on the narrative rhythm: the more a given episode is divided, the more double-page spreads there are and the stronger the suspense becomes. This makes readers turn pages more rapidly with a burning curiosity about the next pages. The organization of double-spread pages can function as a "cliffhanger". Colors can also create a new narrative flow: for instance, the French illustrator Claverie inserted some black-and-white sketches in his color picturebook. Monochromatic pictures foreshadow events to occur, which are colorfully depicted later in the picturebook. When it comes to metanarrative, the dynamics between Bluebeard and his wife can be reconsidered with a gender-oriented perspective. While the relationship between husband and wife is "domination - obedience" in the initial text, its visual interpretation depicts this relationship as "duel" or from a gender equality perspective. In addition to this metanarrative aspect, one of the postmodern strategies, metafiction, is applied graphically. For instance, Claverie created a totally new character in his picturebook, who does not exist in the original text. This character is a portrait painter who looks like the illustrator's alter ego. In the iconotext, he opens and wraps up the story: it seems that he exists between the fictional universe (narrative) and the real world which readers belong to. The portrait painter himself functions as a metafictional strategy. Through this study, illustrations are revealed not as simple visual reproductions of fairy tales but as an interpretation. They shed new light on an original text, which results in a new iconotext even without any textual adaptations. Therefore, illustrators can be considered as "visual" storytellers who thus contribute to the survival of fairy tales. As for the child reader, the visual reversion provides the child with the opportunity to look over tales from a new point of view.