TV드라마와 젠더담론의 균열과 포섭: 이혼녀와 미혼모의 재현

Divorced women and single mothers heretofore have been depicted in television drama as victims and failures, and have been thus relegated to passive roles. In light of social demands and changes pulling diverse female characters out from obscurity into the heart of the narrative, TV drama is becoming a battlefield of gender discourse. This study conducted narrative analysis of four drama with divorced women and single mothers as protagonists in order to explore possibility of disintegration in patriarchal order from a feminist standpoint. Analysis result shows the positive depictions of divorced women and single mothers, who voluntarily break away from patriarchy, as they excel in professional world, and of their constructive alliance shed light on the problems with patriarchy and simultaneously identify the force to disintegrate it. The combination, nevertheless, of male characters that have abandoned patriarchal authority, who are just modern day Prince Charming, and heightened romantic narrative discourse poses limitations in that it turns aforementioned possibility into a compromise between divergent opinions. Another possible critique in attributing problems rising from social imbalance to the lack of individual ability is that it not only strengthens anti-patriarchy propaganda, but assigns higher education and professional degrees as prerequisites for happiness for divorced women and single mothers. Ironically, however, a constant need for compromise could be an evidence to the problems with patriarchy, in which case it would be important to realize “Politics of Meaning” through critical reading.