《天君衍义》的理念式叙事

Conceptual Narration of Cheongunyeonui

《天君衍义》作为韩国“天君”小说的代表作 ,其叙事特点是情节故事依凭理念图式展开 ,其理念图式的核心内容就是程朱理学的社会理想和伦理观念 ,基本冲突就是“天理”与“人欲”的矛盾纠葛。这不仅与中国性理学思想存在着直接的渊源关系 。

The novels concerning Cheongun have become one series of Korean novels. The question as to whether Jeong Taeje was the author of Cheongunyeonui, the representative work of this series is still under dispute in related academic circles. However, relevant historical facts can prove that Jeong Taeje is the original author of the novel. Cheongunyeonui tells of the complicated relations between the thinker, five sense organs, human body and human emotions in the personalized style, with the focus upon the struggle between heavenly principles and human desires. Both Chinese and Korean Confucians maintain that all sorts of external temptation are rooted in weaknesses in human nature, and that human desires derived from the heart are very harmful and regarded as the origin of evils. So they hold that depositing heavenly principles and getting rid of human desires are an essential means of cultivating people up to the ideal state. The novel not only materializes the Confucian theory but also combines the plot and characters with Confucian theory and its idealism. From the Oriental psychological structure of Cheongunyeonui, we can find certain coincidences with the Western psychological structure of Freud. For instance, Yoksi and Yoksaeng in Cheongunyeonui are equivalent to “id”, Seongseong ong, Juil ong, Seongui ong, Jisu, Gisu and Cheonri are equivalent to “superego”, and Cheongun himself is equivalent to “ego”, who is connected with either “superego” or “id” through the consciousnesses and the moods like Igwan, Mokgwan, Gugwan, Bigwan, Gussi, Huissi, Nossi, Aessi, Rakssi, and Akssi. If we put it in a more abstract way, in the so called Confucian argument about “ethics”, “mind” and “desires”, “ethics” stands for moral rules or principles of behavior, “desires” for pesonal desires and self interest, and “mind” for the swing between the two. This explains that Confusians realized long ago the fundamental conflict in human nature and shows as well that Western psychoanalysis studies, Neo Confucianism of China and Korea are very similar to each other since they all study the common object—the human heart, in spite of a big span between them in terms of space and time.Finally, there are several reasons why novels like Cheongunyeonui appeared in Korea. First of all, the Korean mainstream culture is Confucianism. Secondly, many famous Confucians in the history of Korean Confucianism introduced Confucian conception or doctrines with illustrations, which caused novels reflecting Confucianism with images to flourish in Korea. Thirdly, it is only Rimje with high creativity whose first novel about “Cheongun” has led to the masterpiece Cheongunyeonu and many others of its kind in Korea.