20세기 초 서양연극의 한국도입과 한국 가톨릭교회 - 1917년 2월15일 『경향잡지』의 「연극의 이해」 기사를 중심으로 (The introduction of Western theater in early 20th century and Korean Catholic Church - “The Understanting of Theatre”, Kyunghyang Magazine, Feburary 15, 1917)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국연극학회
· 수록지 정보 : 한국연극학 / 1권 / 68호 / 173 ~ 207페이지
· 저자명 : 이현주

초록

오랫동안 서구와의 접촉을 단절하였던 한국은 19세기 이전까지만 해도 서구인들에게는 매우 신비하고 비밀스러운 나라였다. 19세기 말에 자의적, 타의적으로 왕조의 문을 열며 수교조약을 통해 세계와 소통하기 시작하였고, 20세기 후반부터는 세계에 한국의 역사와 문화를 능동적으로 알리게 된다.
한국의 근대, 혹 개화기 시대 역사 연구는 서양인들의 기록과 증언에 상당 부분 의존하였고, 사전 편찬 활동 역시 그들의 한국어 작업에 바탕을 두기도 하였다. 예를 들면, 한불(불한) 혹은 한영(영한) 사전의 시초는 19세기 선교사들의 노력의 결과였다.
그러나 한국을 바라보는 서구인들의 시각과 서술은 그들의 문화, 상황, 배경이라는 프리즘을 거친 시선이다. 그들의 아카이브는 ‘우리’에 관한 증언이기도 하지만 사실 우리를 보는 ‘그들의’ 사고방식과 문화들에 관한 증언인 것이다.
본 원고는 1917년 2월 15일 『경향잡지』 71-72쪽에 실린 「연극의 리해」라는 기사를 통해 20세기 초 서양연극의 한국도입 당시 한국 가톨릭교회의 입장을 살펴보고자한다.
이미 예르지 그로토브스키(Jerzy Grostowski, 1933-1999)는 서양이 어디서 시작해 어디서 끝나는지에 대한 근본적인 의문을 제기 하였고, 프랑스의 연극학자들도 비판적이고 새로운 시각으로 (서양) 연극역사에 대한 질문을 다시 던지고 있다. ‘한국 가톨릭교회’ 역시 보편적이고 획일적인 것이 아니다. 이런 것들을 바탕으로, 한국에서 서양연극과 가톨릭교회의 만남, 이해와 오해를 통해 형성되는 문화 의식의 변화와 계승, 변용에 대해 생각해보고자한다.

영어초록

As Korea upheld an isolationist policy that deterred them from contact with the West up until the 19th century, it Korea remained an exotic, secretive land for Westerners for a long time near the end of the 19th century, the Korean dynasty opened their doors to interact with other countries in part voluntarily and in part forcedly. The ‘diplomatic treaty’ they agreed on actively spread Korean history and culture throughout the world during the mid- and late-20th century.
Ironically, studies of Korea’s modern, or enlightenment period relied heavily on Westerners’ records and testimonies. Even dictionary compilations were based on foreigners’ work on Korean. For instance, the Korean-English and Korean-French and vice versa dictionaries were first completed by the missionaries in the 19th century.
However, Westerners’ perspectives on and depictions of Korea are ultimately based on their culture, circumstances and contextualisation. Their archives may have more value when assessing how ‘they’ interacted with and perceived other cultures and mindsets (the ‘other’), rather than as a generally verified testimony of how ‘we’ used to be. As such, reverse anthropology suggests a switch between the ‘subject’ and the ‘object’, and has risen as an important approach in postcolonial studies. Nicolas Standaert, a professor of Chinese Studies at KU Leuven, Belgium and Jesuit father, emphasizes that in religious studies, the history of missionary work also “has to be viewed not via the missionaries eyes, but the eyes of those who encountered the missionaries”.
This paper examines the Korean Catholic church’s attitudes towards the introduction of Western plays to Korea during the early 20th century, as gleaned from a Kyunghyang Magazine article (published on Feburary 15, 1917 under the title “The Understanting of Theatre”, p.71-72). Furthermore, these attitudes will be held in comparison to those of the French Catholic church. Some careful speculations will also be made on how those attitudes may have impacted the theatrical activities of Korean theological seminary students versus those of others.
‘Western play’ is not a proper noun, and therefore cannot be defined succinctly and definitively. Jerzy Grotowski questioned precisely where ‘the West’ is considered to begin and end, so did French theatre scholars in the 21st century, who critically inquired in depth what (Western) plays are. ‘The attitude and stance of the Korean Catholic church’ is also a complex, multifaceted heritage composed of various cultural exhibits and thus, cannot be generalized as a singular entity.
This article explores the intersections between change and succession, bias and perception, understanding and ignorance, underlining any contact that takes place between people or ‘others.’ It further suggests a change in how the ‘subject’ and ‘object’ have been viewed and treated historically during modernization and enlightenment processes. Ultimately, it testifies to a need to transfigure a new consciousness with which societal, cultural, artistic, and religious phenomena are perceived.

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