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A Study on the Principles of Formal structure of Sijo - Focused on Aesthetics of the Short Front-Long End and the Long Front-Short End Formations

  • The Studies in Korean Poetry and Culture
  • Abbr : Korean Poetry and Culture
  • 2014, (34), pp.277-310
  • Publisher : The Society of Korean Poetry and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Korean Language and Literature

Lee Kyoung Young 1

1경기대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

If we divide sijo into 6 phrases and examine its rhythm of the first and second metres, it shows mostly the short front-long end formation in the beginning and middle verses. It is statistically identified, and this short front-long end formation is judged to perform aesthetic functions as follows:First, as the center of gravity of poem is placed in the back rather than in the front, it gives stability. While the modification of adnominal phrase is mostly expressed short by being arranged in the front, verbs describing behavior are mostly placed in the back and contributes to increasing stability of the sentence. In addition to this, the short front-long end formation performs considerably significant aesthetic functions such as emphasis and completion of meaning. Performing an emphatic function in a poem is closely associated with embodiment of major images. Completion of meaning is related with unique features of verses in sijo. Although sijo verses are used like lines in free verse, it shows totally different attributes from line. It’s because the beginning, middle and last verses have a completed image first and each verse has another small meaning structure and two phrases. On the contrary, the principle of the long front-short end formation has totally different aesthetic functions from the short front-long end formation such as lingering imagery effect and arrangement of the center of poetic gravity in the front. For instance, in the case of inversion for lingering imagery, it is desirable the back part is not heavy, so we follow the principle of the long front-short end formation. In addition, it may perform aesthetics of completing change. What aesthetic effects are there in 3-sound fixity of the first phrase in the last verse and in the form of more than 5-sound? Tension and relaxation, turn effect, and setting up the key topic in the second metre may be included here. This research by no means tried to mention restoration of the number-of-letter logic about which Donam said. It served as a momentum to investigate that the aesthetics of sijo, which has been created for a very long time from ancient sijo which became the poetic object to modern sijo, has never simple but independent domain. And by making good use of this and bringing out advantages only sijo has, if it can also be quoted to the creation of sijo today, the meaning of this research would be more valuable.

Citation status

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