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A Generic Meaning of Didacticism and Didactic Gasa

  • The Studies in Korean Poetry and Culture
  • Abbr : Korean Poetry and Culture
  • 2009, (23), pp.323-356
  • Publisher : The Society of Korean Poetry and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Korean Language and Literature

Kyu Ick Cho 1

1숭실대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Didacticism of Gasa works is a factor relating to various steps or elements like the writer's intention, the work's content and structure, readers' reaction. The existing opinion which Gasa is a didactic genre was a logic to be tied to the category of monistic genre concept to excess. Gasa can be said as a genre fused into with a new category 'didactic' and existing generic categories. As a matter of fact, the theory that Gasa is a didactic genre is an opinion which recognizes or involves its complex generic attribute. There are some Gasa works singing instruction or didacticism in overwhelming weight. Those are the works strongly expressed theme of didacticism. However, Gasa works paraphrasing the items of didactic texts like Dongmong-Seonseup, Sohak are not simply moral texts. At the same time, Gasa works explaining the duties of married women are not simply didactic texts. It is certain that the situation inevitably to recite a poem putting into the contents of moral training shows up, putting on a lyric surface. Although the contents of instruction can be overwhelming in the aspect of importance, those Gasa works are different from Dongmong-Seonseup or Sohak. It is the reason that Gasa author's aesthetic intention is put in the work's style or form, and the space to insert author's inner mind is bigger than the didactic texts. Some senior scholars said that lyricism was predominant in Gasa works of the early Joseon dynasty, didactic Gasa works appeared on the stage in the late Joseon dynasty. Some scholars regard the lyricism as didacticism. However, those views are the products that they saw only one side. Gasa's complex generic attributes are involved in their opinions, we have to see it with a comprehensive viewpoint for grasping the whole aspect of Gasa genre. It is the reason that it is proper to synthesize them after dividing into inner and external categories, when we see it in the generic aspect. In that case, inner category is continuing disposition as durable instruction or didacticism, external category is disposition of diachronic change or synchronic variation. Either contents or themes, the case of outstanding didacticism is a result that instruction as an expressing factor sided with another instruction as a fundamental factor. A general basis of Gasa genre is didacticism to dwell in existent phenomena or recognized facts, categories of literary genres like 'lyric, epic, drama' are nothing but expressed aesthetic factors. It is worth considering intention of creation or theme though we understand the didactic Gasa works.

Citation status

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