모옌 장편소설의 불교적 상상력―《생사피로》와 《사십일포》를 중심으로

This study examines the Buddhist imagination in Mo Yan’s Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out (Shengsi Pilao) and Forty-One Cannons (Sishiyi Pao), focusing on their characters and spatial representations. Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out employs the theme of the Six Realms of Reincarnation, depicting Ximen Nao’s repeated rebirths as a path toward liberation, while its setting, Gaomi Northeast Township, is portrayed as a fantastical space of cyclical reincarnation. In contrast, Forty-One Cannons highlights the Buddhist concepts of the Three Poisons and suffering, with Luo Xiaotong embodying human torment and repentance. Its spaces—the slaughterhouse and Wutong Shrine—symbolize desire and the ambivalence of the sacred and profane. Both works share a Buddhist foundation yet differ in their central philosophical focus and narrative structures: the former emphasizes cyclical space, while the latter reveals repetitive space. This comparison underscores Mo Yan’s evolving engagement with Buddhist thought.