The acceptance pattern and meaning of classical narratives in the web novel 〈Joseon Fox Scandal〉

​This study examined the acceptance of classical narratives in the web novel 〈Chosun Fox Scandal〉, which was serialized on Naver Web Novel, and examined the meaning of the acceptance of multiple classical narratives in the web novel 〈Chosun Fox Scandal〉. The web novel 〈Joseon Fox Scandal〉 is unique in that it arranges multiple classical narrative works in an omnibus format through the setting that the divine beast that fox inspector Siho goes to retrieve is actually an animal that appears in classical narratives. The 19 types of classical narratives, including old novels and folk tales, included in the work are centered on stories about Siho’s performance a royal inspector, accounting for more than 48% of the total volume. The story of Siho’s performance as a royal inspector consists of a repetition of the structure of ‘the end of one divine beast problem = the end of one classic episode’. So readers can enjoy the classic narrative while reading the story dealing with the divine beast problem. Among the 19 types of classical narratives accepted in the work, 1 is a classic narrative that is almost the same depending on the degree of variation, 4 are those in which the common narrative for each classical epic is maintained and only the characters that appear are replaced with characters from the work. In addition, there is one that accepts motifs from classical narratives and one that uses classical narratives as a component of the spatial background. There are 12 stories created by the author by accepting part of the common narrative for each classical narrative. The changes utilized a variety of methods, from taking the work almost as is to taking parts of the work and then having the author add content that did net exist. In terms of content, characters who commit evil deeds and their punishment were emphasized in 14 of the 18 episodes, excluding the one that adopted a classical narrative as its spatial background. The acceptance of the classic narrative of the web novel 〈Joseon Fox Scandal〉 first created a ‘cider’ narrative of the web novel by emphasizing punishment in an old story familiar to readers. At this time, since the problems inherent in evil deeds are repeated in the present, the emphasis on punishment in the story can provide vicarious satisfaction to the readers. Second, using classical narratives, it shows the appearance of a divine beast who is frustrated while complying with fate, and a human being who actively pioneers destiny. Therefore, along with the ending, presents the appearance of a character who has achieved a transition from a divine beast to a human being, it contributed to emphasizing the importance of human will in creating one’s own life and destiny in a finite life.