The aim of this study is to inquire the characteristics of witticisms based
on the aspect of relationship shared by the characters of a modern collections
of witticisms; Socheonsoji(笑天笑地)
322 witticisms of the collections were studied and similar characters were
arranged depending on the relationship shared by them in the tales. As a
result, the following relations could be extracted; family relationship,
relationship between the higher and the lower, relationship between the host
and the guest, relationship between the central character and peripheral
characters, relationship between disabled and non-disabled characters,
relationship between special family name and relationship between A(甲) and
B(乙). Then, the characteristics were analyzed from the view point of ‘changes
in the leadership under the relationship’, ‘formation of superiority relationship
between the central character and the peripheral characters’, ‘characters
breaking away from relationship’.
First, ‘changes in the leadership under the relationship’ were discussed and
it could be verified that in traditional humorous Tales, the ‘confrontation between the man in power and the one not in power’ was the central topic.
This was seen in cases of family relationship, relationship between the higher
and the lower, or relationship between the host and the guest. However, in
modern witticisms, this confrontation changed to ‘confrontation of the old and
the new regarding the advanced ideas’.
Secondly, if we take a look upon ‘formation of superiority relationship
between the central character and the peripheral characters’, then it could be
verified that ‘1st relation of superiority and inferiority’ was established between
a villager who went to Seoul and a resident of Seoul. And then, ‘2st relation
of superiority and inferiority’ was again established between a villager who
had been to Seoul and another villager who had never been to Seoul. As
a result, such witticisms were created because of a feeling of superiority
complex in a person who had embraced the modern civilization earlier than
the one who had accepted it comparatively later.
Finally, it could be seen that ‘relationship’ factor does not largely participate
in arousing interest in the witticisms such as in cases of ‘first and second
relationship’ which do not aim at specific relationship. In such witticisms,
rather than the relationship between the characters, the action between
unspecified characters or the conversation itself became the core factor for
inducing laughter. So, witticisms kept under specific relations seek for
‘collective laughter’ that brings out the meaning of laughter under the
sociocultural context of the traditional society. While it can be noticed that
witticisms in ‘A and B relation’ escape from such contexts and seek ‘individual
laughter’. Also, it seems that such witticisms have a strong tendency of
depending upon the conversation between the characters and they somewhat
cast an effect even on the play forms of these witticisms.