KJCKorea
Journal Central

This research examines the characters Jo Ja-yeom and her husband So Gyeong-su from the Korean classical novel <JoSsiSamDaeRok>. Ja-yeom is portrayed as an exemplary virtuous woman, receiving special love and recognition from her father. Gyeong-su is depicted as a perfect man, endowed with abilities, temperament, and appearance, embodying filial piety and fraternal love. By illustrating the lives of virtuous woman Jo Ja-yeom and perfect man So Gyeong-su, who endure hardships and maintain filial piety and fraternal love, the research interestingly presents the ideal couple envisioned by the elite class. The villains are numerous and the scale of the evil woman’s wickedness is large and persistent, effectively highlighting the couple’s hardships. The relationship also showcases rare dynamics such as a husband regarding his wife as a mentor, and portrays the significance of a woman who is a paragon of virtue, can foresee the future, extricates herself from crises, and is both close to and recognized by her father.

This paper examines the process of becoming an adult and the meaning of becoming an adult, focusing on Lee Mong-chang's series of Korean long novel “Ssangcheon Gi-bong”. The narrative that Lee Mong-chang controls his natural debauchery and becomes the head of the family is also the process of becoming an adult who controls his temperament and fulfills his social responsibilities. In the series of “Ssangcheon Gi-bong”, Lee Mong-chang's ‘adulting’ can be divided into three main categories. First of all, the process of becoming the head of the family includes establishing judgment criteria and learning social roles. Lee Mong-chang avoided responsibility for all cases without imagining the consequences of his actions at first, but from the disappearance of So Wol-hye, he faces the consequences of what he has done and establishes the criteria for judgment. In the belated marriage with Jo Sang-yeom, he agonizes over the social hierarchy surrounding the family and the attitude he must take. Through the growth of the two aspects, Lee Mong-chang escapes from the prodigy and secures the quality of being the head of the family. It should be noted that Lee Mong-chang's ‘becoming an adult’ is not completed by becoming the head of the family. In the latter part, “The Book of Generation Lee”, Lee Mong-chang seems to be the completed head of the family, but when dealing with his son Lee Baek-moon, he shows an immature and impulsive side. When dealing with a prodigy son who looks exactly like him, he is conscious of the past and obsessed with the role of the head of the family. Lee Mong-chang's change in the narrative of ‘being the head of the household’ is due to the accumulation of experiences and on the other hand, it is meaningful in that it reconsiders the perspective of the completed adult. The accumulation of experience in the social relationships surrounding me serves as the basis for controlling my natural temperament and playing a social role. Of course, these experiences leave room for criticism in that they can be seen as ‘planning’ for growth from Lee Mong-chang's perspective, but in other words, they also show how much relationship is involved in the process of adulthood. Furthermore, these experiences continue even after adulthood, and have great implications in that they create a changing adult rather than a completed adult. In other words, becoming an adult means more than just ‘getting older’ and can be said to be a process of continuing to pursue completion while incomplete.

Bongnae Yang Sa-eon, a prominent figure in 16th-17th century literature, left a lasting legacy. This study examines his position in literary history, focusing on his Korean Kasa, MiinbyeolgokWhile details of his life are scarce, anecdotes reveal his activities and the memories surrounding them. He was a renowned calligrapher, known for his travels to scenic spots, which earned him recognition among contemporary scholars. The ambiguity surrounding his social status, coupled with his artistic talent and works imbued with transcendentalism, likely contributed to his fame as a “celestial being.”His Chinese poetry reflects 16th and 17th century trends, characterized by a strong transcendental and romantic tone. This tendency is also applicable to understanding his Korean Kasa, Miinbyeolgok. The conventional interpretation of Miinbyeolgok as a tribute to a beautiful woman requires revision. The sudden appearance of hermitage allusions and the hybrid nature of various modifiers suggest alternative interpretations. Ultimately, this work expresses the sentiments of his reclusive days and his penchant for the celestial, using romantic expressions of the time. It reflects his own difficult circumstances while longing for understanding, or perhaps it was created by comparing himself to sorrowful scholars and beauties. Miinbyeolgok can be understood as an example of the expanded use of the beauty trope as a poetic figure in works predating Jeong Cheol's. This has significance in broadening the understanding of female figures in classical poetry. Furthermore, the literary dispositions of Bongnae (Yang Sa-eon) and Songgang (Jeong Cheol), namely the transcendence and romanticism stemming from the ambiguity blurring the boundaries between the earthly and the celestial, seem somewhat similar. In this light, Bongnae Yang Sa-eon can be reevaluated as a writer who paved the way for a new phase in the Korean Kasa of the Joseon Dynasty's literati. He can be seen as a bridge between Jeong Cheol and earlier writers.