<여니벽선생몽회록>의 특징 일고찰 (The Shape and Features of “Yeo Tr.Yibyeok Monghoerok”)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국고전연구학회
· 수록지 정보 : 韓國古典硏究 / 67호 / 165 ~ 205페이지
· 저자명 : 양혜승

초록

본고는 이벽의 삶과 <여니벽선생몽회록>을 중심으로 형상화 양상과 특징에 대해 논의하였다. <여니벽선생몽 회록>은 19세기 몽유록으로 단형화된 몽유록이며 천주교 사상을 담은 특이한 서술구조와 사유로 적절한 담론이 형성되지 못한 일면이있다. 몽유록의 전형적 특징은 사라지고 천주교 인물들의 대화와 특이하게도 열전양식이 결합되어 독특한 작품이라 할 수 있다.
2장에서는 조선후기 사회상과 천주교 수용을 짚어 봤으며 한국 천주교회사에서이벽의 존재를 그의 삶에 대한 다양한 기록을 통해 추적해 보았다. 이벽은 다산 정약용에게 깊은 학문적 영향을 주었으며, 당대 최고의 유학자로 인정받았던 이가환을개종시키고 다산 형제들도 개종시켰을 뿐만 아니라 조선 천주교 초기의 실질적인교회 지도자로서 설교와 교리해설을 맡았던 핵심 인물이었다. 이것은 최근 천주교회서 진행하고 있는 ‘이벽 요한 세례자와 동료 132위’의 시복 시성과도 맞물려 있다.
당시의 여러 가지 기록으로 볼 때 이벽이 배교자로 사망할 수는 없는 것이며, 이벽이천주교회에 미친 영향력은 후대에까지 강하게 남았다는 증거인 것이다. 철저한 구도적 연구를 거쳐 자발적으로 수용한 신앙의 진리를 수호하고 삶을 불태운 이벽의천주교에서 위상은 짐작하고도 남음이 있다.

영어초록

This paper discusses the life of Yi Byeok and the characteristics and aspects of the formation of Yeo Tr.Yibyeok Monghoerok. As a 19thcentury dream-journey narrative (mongyurok), Yeo Tr.Yibyeok Monghoerok is a condensed form of the genre, containing Catholic ideology and an unusual narrative structure that has not yet been fully explored in discourse. The typical characteristics of mongyurok have disappeared, and the work uniquely combines dialogues between Catholic figures with a biographical style, creating a distinctive piece.
In Chapter 2, I examined the social landscape of the late Joseon period and the acceptance of Catholicism, tracing the presence of Yi Byeok through various records of his life in Korean Catholic history. Yi Byeok greatly influenced Dasan Jeong Yak-yong academically, converted the renowned Confucian scholar Yi Ga-hwan, and played a pivotal role in converting Dasan’s brothers. Moreover, Yi Byeok served as a practical church leader in the early days of Korean Catholicism, responsible for preaching and explaining doctrines. His significance is closely tied to the ongoing beatification and canonization process of "John the Baptist Yi Byeok and 132 Companions" within the Catholic Church. Based on various historical records, it is evident that Yi Byeok could not have died as an apostate, and his lasting influence on the Korean Catholic Church is undeniable. His position within the Church, as someone who fiercely defended the truth of the faith he had voluntarily embraced through rigorous spiritual study, is highly regarded.
In Chapter 3, I explored the aspects of Yi Byeok’s portrayal, focusing on how he appears as a heavenly Taoist hermit, with a mystical atmosphere. While this may reflect the influence of secret faiths like Jeonggamrok that were popular in the late Joseon period, Yi Byeok was also praised for his deep scholarship and noble character, akin to a Taoist immortal. Such circumstances likely contributed to early Catholic believers revering him as a teacher, a fact that also led to his veneration within the Church. In this sense, Yi Byeok’s appearance as a Taoist hermit should not be seen merely as a depiction of a Taoist figure but rather as a reflection of his esteemed status within the Catholic community.
Yeo Tr.Yibyeok Monghoerok also includes prophecies about persecution, along with records of the political upheavals and natural disasters of the late Joseon period, to the extent that it can be considered a chronicle of Catholic persecution in Korea. However, aside from the events of 1846, the earlier prophecies are not predictions but rather descriptions of events that had already taken place — essentially, historical facts. The author of Yeo Tr.Yibyeok Monghoerok uses the protagonist’s meeting with Yi Byeok to restore memories of past events through allegorical prophecy.
As these past memories are revived, historical truths collide with the present moment when the protagonist awakens from the dream, creating new meaning in the context of divine judgment and discourse on societal reform. Although the protagonist’s awakened reality conflicts with the prophecy, this allegorical restoration of social and political corruption serves to critique the past and guide new perspectives.
This work is significant in that it restores past memories and generates new awareness, offering lessons through the combination of narrative and discourse within the dream-journey genre. Yeo Tr.Yibyeok Monghoerok inherits the critical consciousness of mongyurok and demonstrates cultural reception patterns similar to those found in secret faiths like Jeonggamrok, while also critiquing contemporary social issues and ideological conflicts arising from Catholic persecution. The mongyurok genre, far from being a simple fantasy narrative, serves as an allegorical tool to critique the social and political corruption of the time and foster critical thinking and new awareness of the past.

참고자료

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