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The change of Nogye(蘆溪) Park, In-Ro(朴仁老)’s economic circumstances and the practical motivation of moving to Noju

Lee, Jong Mun 1

1계명대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

It is almost obvious that his economic status was drastically changed by the time he moved to Noju in his middle and late period of life. His representative works that demonstrated this change include 「Anbooneum(安分吟)」 and 「Gyeongjeonga(耕田歌)」written before and after his moving to Noju(蘆洲) respectively. A thorough analysis of materials related to these two works indicated that he generally lived in poverty before moving, but enjoyed quite a wealth on the whole after moving. It goes without saying that, first and foremost, the difference of economic status has led to a portrait of an acute destitution in the former and that of a relatively wealthier sentiment in the latter. The difference shown in Anbooneum and Gyeongjeonga seem to be correspondent to the clear contrast between 「Nuhangsa(陋巷詞)」 and 「Nogyega(蘆溪歌)」, which will not be irrelevant to his economic status when he created those works. Although Nogye cited his love for nature as a reason for moving, the more desperate and practical motivation would have been to cultivate the wasteland. Originally, Noju had been the name of a sand island with plenty of reed beds. Nogye could reclaim wide land described as ‘hundreds of saplings’ after cultivating the deserted, unplowed land in that area relatively easily. As a result, Nogye could acquire physical richness needed in his specific life setting as well as the mental abundance that came from the possession of unowned nature. Self-sufficient expressions and a flood of pleasure found in Nogyega seem to be derived from this very material foundation.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.