A Psycho-analytical Approach to Song-gi Han's Collection of Poems At the Mountain

韓性祺 시집『山에서』의 정신분석학적 연구

At the Mountain, a collection of poems by Song-gi Han, deals with the theme of separation and the various representations of anxieties that it entails. The poems trace the endeavors of the 'self' to escape personal anxieties of separation. To achieve this, the poet turns to 'the symbolic order,' primarily relying on the displacement and compression of objects of libido to facets of nature. Furthermore, he favors the sky, the sea, and the absolute other (which represent 'the real order,' lying beyond 'the symbolic order') as he attempts to transcend the bounds of reality. The poets strategem of poetry writing reflects his positive efforts to preserve the self by suppressing and sublimating his libido, which seeks to break into his world of reality. The conclusions of this study will undoubtedly open up the poet's subsequent poetics works to interesting interpretative possibilities. In addition, the implications of this study will hopefully foreground the function of poetry writing in tackling the dehumanization of modern society to which we are a part.