KJCKorea
Journal Central

This article attempted to see a case of changing the field of novel reading by discussing the conditions and timing differences in which “Guneunmong” was able to expand its readers’size in the entertainment reading environment of the late Joseon Dynasty, focusing on narrative signs and related materials. Mongyurok(夢遊錄), Yadam(野談), Chinese novel, and romance were on the reading list of the fun-seekers who read recreationally in the late Joseon Dynasty. They were readers and writers, and sometimes published. The author of “Goonmong” chose a strategy to reinforce the entertainment of the narrative by using a playful narrator in the reading topography of the romance. The readers of “Goonmong” talked about the rumors about the work as a light topic, and crossed the gender boundaries of the reader with the justification of creation and reading “For My Mother.” Rumors and justifications produced a primary media effect that broadened the reader. “Guunmong”, which is placed in the media context of bilingual, engraving, and commercial distribution, reinforced the popularity of the market by reflecting the average sensitivity shared in the chapter of popular novels by omitting and supplementing the narrative. The Chinese text was engraved early on and had a standardized narrative, and since then, the narrative of the printed version of 乙巳 has served as a very influential reference text in the market. The Korean version of “Guunmong” was combined with the commercial distribution media of rental book(貰冊) and commercial(坊刻) to make a partial change in the narrative according to the common sense of the consumer readers. Although the range of narrative transformation or the choice of sentence expression chosen by the editors was not the same depending on the medium, the criteria for editing converged on the common sense and the preference of the market. Editors prioritized the commercial expectation of making a profit by aligning with the naturalized popular sensibility rather than having an ideology for a specific ethics or a will for patriarchy.

writers, readers, editors, topics, justifications, fun-seekers, double letters, rental book, publication, narrative, popularity