「짝패들」에 나타난 유기적 통일성과 심미적 질서

Abstract

Since Aristotle, writers and critics have paid a lot of attention to the organic unities of literary works. In an organically unified work, each part of the story is meaningful, contributing in some way to the making of the whole. After completing “Counterparts,” Joyce was exceptionally satisfied with the work and did not want to change any part of the story. The story is a good example of an organically unified work. The title, which plays a pivotal role in organizing the story, has two meanings: “a duplicate copy” and “a person who has a similar function or position to another in a different place.” The former refers to the duplicate copies of the contract and correspondence transcribed by Farrington. Interestingly, from those copies Farrington’s life as one of nonexistence can be inferred. The latter is concretized in the correspondences between the powerful and the powerless; Farrington’s roles change according to his circumstances. Even in the repeated words and phrases throughout the story, those meanings of the title are scrupulously embedded. By creating “Counterparts” as an organically unified work, Joyce tried to embody aesthetic order in the story. However dismal and hopeless Farrington’s life is now or in the future, readers are encouraged to envision an organized world by exploring aesthetic order in the story. This is what artists are supposed to do and what Joyce achieved in “Counterparts.”