재난에 대응하는 소설의 한 양상- 2020년대 ‘장소 힐링 소설’을 중심으로 -

초록

This study analyzes the narratological commonalities of ‘place healing novels’, a literary trend that has gained prominence in the post-2020 literary market following the COVID-19 pandemic, and examines how literature responds to shifting social realities and public expectations. Representative works such as Uncanny Convenience Store, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, and Yeonnam-dong Laundry provide readers with psychological stability through closed-ended narrative structures that avoid generating excessive tension. In particular, the omnibus narrative strategy functions as an effective device for reducing reading fatigue while vividly illustrating the organic interconnections among characters. Although the characters depicted are ordinary individuals burdened with various personal difficulties, their problems are gradually resolved through relationships mediated by a shared space. In these narratives, everyday locations-such as convenience stores, bookstores, and laundromats-are re-signified as open spaces of hospitality and connection, where characters form communal bonds of mutual care. In the 2020s, a decade marked by the overlapping pressures of performance-driven culture and the isolation of COVID-19, 'place healing novels' have faithfully reflected the psychological expectations of readers. By embodying the potential for interpersonal connection and mutual care, this genre has successfully fulfilled the role of literature during a time of disaster.

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