Hwang Taek-hu[黃宅厚] is a poet from Gyeongajeon[京衙前] family who was active in the year of King Sukjong and Yeongjo in Joseon dynasty. As a young man, he kept companies with famous literary men such as Choi Chang-dae[崔昌大] and I Ha-gon[李夏坤], and also participated in the association of poetry, such as Seosa[西社]. Ever since becoming a petty official, he has been working in provinces by performing secretary of local jurisdiction all the time.
Since he was from a family that had lived through the generations of Gyeongajeon, Hwang Taek-Hoo was able to receive education comparable to that of the nobility family from a young age, and through this, he was able to communicate with the poets of the nobility. Based on the ability of literacy and administration, it was possible for capital’s petty officials to obtain the recognition and support of the bureaucrats and civil officers and thus they could take the lead of the literary world on behalf of the medical officers and official interpreters.
It seems that Cheongiron[天機論] and Jinsiron[眞詩論], which were raised around by Gim Chang-heup[金昌翕] and Hong Se-tae[洪世泰], who were one generation ahead of Hwang Taek-hu, became the ideological grounds for the activation of Wihang[委巷] literature. The influence of Cheongiron and Jinsiron appears in the literature of Choi Chang-dae and I Ha-gon who associated with Hwang Taek-hu, and is confirmed in the literature of Hwang Taek-hu.
In particular, in the case of Yeongmul poetry[詠物詩] of Hwang Taek-hu, the tendency to awaken natural laws through observation of surrounding objects and attempt to use it as the basis for moral cultivation is well shown. In the effort to express the honest feelings and perceptions that are created in the encounter with things, we can confirm the characteristics that are aimed at real poetry. To restore the value of real poetry, it was emphasized that practice steadily on imitating classical style, this tendency is also seen in the literature of Hwang Taek-hu.
On the other hand, in the literature of Hwang Taek-hu, there are no expressions of unpleasantness and discomfort that are cited as general characteristics of literature of middle class men. This seems to have originated from the social success of Hwang Taek-hu with the recognition of the high officials. Because of his activities in the outside, which occupy most of his life, he tended to consciously emphasize his willingness and vigor.