KJCKorea
Journal Central

In this article, Sŏl based on place names and regions such as ‘Ulleungdo’, ‘East Sea’, ‘Busan’, villages and mountains were reviewed. Sŏl based on place names and regions have universal characteristics of Sŏl, but also show changes by period, so it is helpful to examine the changing aspects of Classical Chinese prose history in the Chosŏn. First of all, based on <<Collections of Korean Literature>>, there are a total of 14 Sŏl based on place names and regions. If we look at the aspects of each period by paying attention to the elements of Sŏl based on place names and regions, we can find out two main characteristics. First, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the description of the traveling process increased. Prior to the 17th century, the writer’s editorial was the center of the Sŏl about place names and regions, but in the 17th and 18th centuries, the author’s emotion was revealed by describing the travel process in detail, which functioned as a means to reveal the ultimate theme. Th is is because of the trend in the late Chosŏn, when individual lives became the subject of records and travel essays and diaries were actively created. Second, in the 17th to 19th centuries, there appeared an attitude to actually prove the origin of place names. Even in the Sŏl about place names and regions before the 17th century, there was information of space, but it was presented as comments by residents or editorials by writers. However, in the 17th to 19th centuries, they tried to clarify the origin of place names through detailed observation by writers or by citing authoritative reference. Th is can be said to be the result of the historical background of the late Chosŏn, when philology was popular.

Sŏl, Region, Place Name, Travel Essay, Classical Chinese Prose