서사 속 대도시 주체로서 고등유민과 도시산책자: 나쓰메 소세키, 프란츠 헤셀, 발터 벤야민을 중심으로 (The Koto Yumin (the Educated Idlers) and the Flâneur as Metropolitan Subjects in Narrative)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국동서비교문학학회
· 수록지 정보 : 동서비교문학저널 / 71호 / 215 ~ 241페이지
· 저자명 : 민현주

초록

This study focuses on two unique metropolitan subjects that emerged with the development of modern metropolises: the Koto Yumin (the Educated Idlers) in Japan and the flâneur in France and Germany. The rapid expansion of capitalism transformed traditional urban spaces, giving rise to modern metropolises qualitatively different from their predecessors. Alongside this transformation, new metropolitan subjects emerged—individuals who wandered the city in search of meaning, distinct from conventional social roles. In modern Japan, the koto yumin (the Educated Idlers) emerged as a central figure in the works of Natsume Soseki. These were individuals who had received higher education but failed to achieve economic independence, existing as paradoxical beings within the capitalist order. Meanwhile, in the same historical period, Western European cities (Paris, Berlin) saw the rise of the flâneur, a figure closely examined by Walter Benjamin and Franz Hessel. The flâneur, as a detached urban observer, engaged in a distinctive exploration of capitalism by walking through and reflecting on the city’s structures and rhythms. By comparing these two metropolitan subjects through a comparative literary approach, this study investigates how they were shaped and reinterpreted within different cultural and historical contexts. Chapter 2 analyzes the koto yūmin in Soseki’s And Then and To the Spring Equinox and Beyond, examining their relationship with the metropolis through Georg Simmel’s theory. Chapter 3 explores Hessel’s Walking in Berlin and Benjamin’s writings on the flâneur, emphasizing the performative aspect of urban wandering. By expanding the discourse beyond individual case studies, this study aims to broaden our understanding of urban modernity. Furthermore, it provides insights into the evolving relationship between capital and urban subjects in contemporary mega-cities.

영어초록

This study focuses on two unique metropolitan subjects that emerged with the development of modern metropolises: the Koto Yumin (the Educated Idlers) in Japan and the flâneur in France and Germany. The rapid expansion of capitalism transformed traditional urban spaces, giving rise to modern metropolises qualitatively different from their predecessors. Alongside this transformation, new metropolitan subjects emerged—individuals who wandered the city in search of meaning, distinct from conventional social roles. In modern Japan, the koto yumin (the Educated Idlers) emerged as a central figure in the works of Natsume Soseki. These were individuals who had received higher education but failed to achieve economic independence, existing as paradoxical beings within the capitalist order. Meanwhile, in the same historical period, Western European cities (Paris, Berlin) saw the rise of the flâneur, a figure closely examined by Walter Benjamin and Franz Hessel. The flâneur, as a detached urban observer, engaged in a distinctive exploration of capitalism by walking through and reflecting on the city’s structures and rhythms. By comparing these two metropolitan subjects through a comparative literary approach, this study investigates how they were shaped and reinterpreted within different cultural and historical contexts. Chapter 2 analyzes the koto yūmin in Soseki’s And Then and To the Spring Equinox and Beyond, examining their relationship with the metropolis through Georg Simmel’s theory. Chapter 3 explores Hessel’s Walking in Berlin and Benjamin’s writings on the flâneur, emphasizing the performative aspect of urban wandering. By expanding the discourse beyond individual case studies, this study aims to broaden our understanding of urban modernity. Furthermore, it provides insights into the evolving relationship between capital and urban subjects in contemporary mega-cities.

참고자료

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