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The Korean Vernacular Manuscript “Eonmunhonganggyusik” Held at Hamilton Library, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: Expanding Glocal Studies in Language and Literature through the Discovery of New Overseas Hangul Classical Texts

  • International Journal of Glocal Language and Literary Studies(약칭: IGLL)
  • Abbr : IGLL
  • 2025, 21(21), pp.264~269
  • Publisher : Glocal Institute of Language and Literary Studies(GILLS)
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : November 20, 2025
  • Accepted : December 15, 2025
  • Published : December 31, 2025

Eom Tae-ung 1

1고려대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study introduces and examines the bibliographical and textual features of the handwritten Korean manuscript 「Eonmunhon ganggyusik」, identified at the Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The manuscript is presumed to have been written in 1908 and represents a type of Korean epistolary manual that shares certain characteristics with the widely circulated woodblock editions 「Eongandok」 and 「Jeungboeongandok」. What distinguishes this manuscript is its exclusive focus on the formats of letters exchanged between the two families during the wedding rites. The manual presents the structure of correspondence exchanged during the ‘chohaeng’(first visit) and ‘jaehaeng’(second visit), primarily in the sequence of ‘letter from the bride’s side – reply from the groom’s side’ and, in several cases, condenses repetitive contents to provide streamlined templates. These features reveal that, although epistolary manuals were disseminated as standardized printed editions, they were also adapted in practical contexts according to contemporary needs. Moreover, Eonmunhonganggyusik holds significant value as a historical source, illuminating women’s actual participation in wedding rituals, their agency as writers of Korean letters, and traces of everyday cultural practices at the time.

Citation status

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