고려대학교

초록/요약

The Last Revolution is a novel written by two Japanese reporters in Keijo (Seoul) in the summer of 1932. From the perspective of Japanese literature history in colonial Joseon, the novel is very unique. In the present study, I begin by outlining key characteristics of The Last Revolution and the two authors. I then explore key notions from the novel in relation to the “ero guro nansensu” (erotic grotesque nonsense) movement. Journalism, a cafe, a gay quarter, betrayal and a grotesque event are interwoven motifs emerging in the analysis of The Last Revolution as a full-length novel. I then explore characteristics of the local Korean people depicted in the novel. My analysis reveals the role played by unsavory Korean background characters in causing even passive and lukewarm Japanese main characters to come to dramatic starvation alliance against unilateral dismissal. Through these methods, I investigate several problems of journalism in Keijo during the period, including a press coverage of Japan and Joseon, the mechanisms and working of a gay quarter, trends of the Japanese newspaper industry in Keijo at the time of the Manchurian Incident, and the importance and place of these elements to the Joseon society.