This paper discusses the prose of Yeonkyungjae Sung-haeeung. He, born of decent family as a descent of illegitimacy, Seoeol(庶孼) in Korean, was chosen as a official editor, Geomseogwan in Korean, of the Royal Library, Gyujanggak in King Jeongjo era...
This paper discusses the prose of Yeonkyungjae Sung-haeeung. He, born of decent family as a descent of illegitimacy, Seoeol(庶孼) in Korean, was chosen as a official editor, Geomseogwan in Korean, of the Royal Library, Gyujanggak in King Jeongjo era and participated in various editing works supervised by the king. At that time, he had academic companionships with outstanding scholars of the time, and had opportunities to peruse many precious books both domestic and foreign which were treasured in Gyujanggak.
Those companionships and reading experiences gave the direct motivation to him to achieve an extensive literature, Yeonkyungjae Jeonjip(The Complete Works of Yeonkyungjae ) in the future.
Yeonkyungjae Jeonjip is worthy as an academic book which covers the studies, ideas, literature, arts and criticism from 18th to 19th century.
On this paper, I inquired the world of his prose on the first hand, because his prose is in an important position not only in the history of prose of 19th century but also in the history of literature.
chapter 2, I began with observing his life and companionships. These are very important factors in the foundation of his point of view for study and prose. Though his family was a family of illegitimacy, it had steadily produced many officials through the national examination for generations, and the writing and clerical works were his forefather's occupations. His family was famous for literary activities, and it wasn't behind any other famous families of the time.
He especially inherited most of the academic inclination and the boundary of companionships from his own father, Sung, Dae-Jung. His companionships were traditional. He was also academically influenced by some scholars, friendly Geomseogwan like him. The companionships with them extended his horizon of academic perception, and consequently it made him write such an enormous of 150 volumes, [Yeonkyungjae Jeonjip](The Complete Works of Yeonkyungjae )
Chapter Ⅲ inquired into the view of learning and the attitude of writing. Sung, Hae-eung argued that the main point should be captured by combining Chinese literature and Sung literature. In other words, he stirred up righteousness such as loyalty, filial duty, and chastity based on fidelity science of Sung literature. Also influenced by Chinese literature, he had concern about many fields, recorded them, directing for erudite learning disposition. In addition, he approached studies by positive method through research and demonstration. In brief, he stuck to the learning attitude of 'well-informed literature(博文約禮)’ and‘combined Han and Sung literature’, and practiced it.
On one hand, in recording and figuring the achievements of a creditable figure, he wrapped up in a form of article on previous achievements, and character sketch, of which, the quantity of articles on previous achievements is overwhelming. Hie record on figures takes up a character surpassing any time, space, and class, so it can be commented as a encyclopedia of various figures in the late Joseon Dynasty. Also in recording, he held on to the writing attitude of 'bringing up an event and directly writing it', which is the outcome of an awareness to objectively record based on facts. For that reason, he pursued the correctness and precision of a record, to do so, he left a record only when he has his own information and some credible source based on historical data.
Chapter Ⅳ made a concrete analysis of Sung, Hae-eung's prose world, of which, discussed focusing on the record of a figure and the expression of a academic and artistic space. Leaving many records on figures, he headed for a figure sketch. Also he left various records on the excellent artistes of the day, in relation to them, we need to pay attention to [Magazine of Painting and Calligraphic Works(書畵雜誌)]. Since it is a significant data providing useful information on the then culture and art in the 18th and 19th century.
Chapter Ⅴ developed a discussion centering on space recognition of prose world, that is, a record of mountains and water, and geography culturally shaping historical geography in a literary way. Writing every kind of geographical book with interest in the historical research of territorial geography based of historical consciousness reached its peak in the 18th and 19th century scholars. Sung, Hae-eung, standing the same summit, wrote a book of landscape and geography with special concern about mountains and rivers, and borders based on a bibliographical academic attitude. he commanded factual depictions stressing a actual background in recording mountain and water nature. By extending concern about and affection for excellent scenery, he had concern about territorial geography, especially he perceived national geography in a positive way, and furthermore, he noticed the people of North-west region and the territory bordered on North area.
As confirmed above, Yeonkyungjae Sung, Hae-eung is a scholar and literary man having an extraordinary will to writing and excellent scholastic ability. His literary works head toward the encouragement of loyalty, so his awareness world can be assessed as considerably conservative. On the contrary, he had a opener awareness with relatively objective and balanced sense in writing attitude. This study, could reconsider the academic system and direction of Sung, Hae-eung known as a Confucian scholar, and settle down his phase as an excellent prose writer, by which it could confirm other literary achievement from concubine offspring literary men of Bukhak school, in he 18th and 19th century. This has its value in that it made strong and rich the extension of the later literature, Joseon Dynasty, and showed a new aspect of concubine offspring literary men.