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A Study on the Literary Works and Records About the Transportation of the Grains as Tax Through the Geum River in the 19th Century

  • The Studies in Korean Poetry and Culture
  • Abbr : Korean Poetry and Culture
  • 2019, (43), pp.181-220
  • Publisher : The Society of Korean Poetry and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Korean Language and Literature
  • Received : January 19, 2019
  • Accepted : February 15, 2019

Kim, Seung-u 1

1전주대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper aimed to examine the process of transporting the grains as tax through the Geum River in the 19th century and to analyze the literary works and records about it. Im Gyojin’s Johaengilrok(漕行日錄) and Hajeongchogo(荷汀草稿) were reviewed as the main data of discussion. The aspiration to manage the country, political frustration or resentment, and longing for the hermit had been common themes of the literati’s poetry or prose in Joseon dynasty because such ideas were common in their everyday life. On the contrary, the voyage to transport taxes was a very special experience, so the works or records about it have their own significance. Although there had been an important warehouse in Hamyeol county where the taxes of northern part of Jeolla Province were gathered, the status of the mayor of Hamyeol county was not very high until the early Joseon period. However, in the late Joseon period, the chief of the area where the tax warehouse was located took directly charge of the transportation; accordingly, the status of the mayor of Hamyeol suddenly increased. As a literary bureaucrat like Im Gyojin personally transported taxes along the waterway, he not only recorded the details of the voyage in his diary, but also expressed his thoughts in the poems. Im objectively recorded in his official diary Johaengilrok the schedule of the cruise and the tasks he accomplished every day. On the other hand, he more freely revealed in his poems personal remarks and emotions that could not be fully expressed in such a public record. Since the two documents are complementary, they can be utilized to further examine the way in which the grains as tax were shipped at that time. With the diary, we can find interesting information on the process of transportation, the waterways of the Geum River, and the situation of the islands off the west coast. Meanwhile, with his poems, we can see a variety of his perspectives and emotions, such as the burden of being appointed as an officer in charge of conveying taxes to Seoul at the old age of sixty, the warm heart to worry about the comfort of his son, the affectionate gaze on innocent islanders, and the excitement of first encountering the magnificent scenery of the West Sea. This paper has significance as a regional study to reveal the life and cultural image of Iksan and Gunsan county in the 19th century. In addition, it can be expected to expand the scope of literature research in the late Joseon period by examining materials that deal with voyage experience, which is very rare in Korean classical literature.

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