A Study of the Epiphany of Hearing and Sensation in Lee Hyo-seok's Novels : Focusing on the Connection with James Joyce's Literature

In the context of 1930s Korean literature, James Joyce was recognized as a pioneer of the “psychological novel” and a prominent figure in advancing “psychological realism.” His works, introduced to Korean audiences in the late 1920s and extensively translated in the 1930s, were actively embraced by modernist writers. Within Korean literary discourse, psychological realism was viewed as a literary method of bourgeois literature, positioned in contrast to Kafka's socialist realism. This methodology, celebrated as a new creative approach for modernist literature, became a prominent framework for understanding modernist and realist works in Korean literary circles of the time. Lee Hyo-seok perceived psychological realism as a more modern literary trend compared to objective realism, arguing that realism had bifurcated into an objective realist school and a psychological anatomizing school. His positive reception of James Joyce and his literary techniques reflects the broader embrace of Joyce’s influence among Korean modernist writers. This paper examines the psychological tendencies in Lee Hyo-seok's novels in connection with Joyce's works, with particular attention to the psychological effects of “music” and Joyce's technique of “epiphany.” In Joyce’s literature, music operates as an evocative and emotional force, serving as a metaphorical experience that transcends linguistic expression. Similarly, Lee Hyo-seok’s novels utilize music to intensify emotional depth, integrating it into the narrative to evoke powerful psychological responses. A distinctive feature of Lee’s works is the “epiphany of hearing and sensation,” moments of profound realization and awareness catalyzed by music. In the works of both Lee and Joyce, music emerges as a mechanism that heightens dramatic emotion, advances narrative development, and facilitates spiritual and emotional revelation. By exploring the role of music and its psychological resonance in Lee Hyo-seok's literature, this study highlights the interplay between auditory sensations and emotional expression, situating these elements within the framework of psychological realism. Furthermore, it underscores the shared literary mechanisms employed by Lee and Joyce, illuminating how music operates as a conduit for narrative and psychological transformation in their respective works