Mt. Geumgangsan and its Literary Figuration : An Analysis on Yi Sangsu’s Travelogue in the Late-Joseon Period

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Geumgangsan, one of the most famous mountains on the Korean peninsula, has been constantly beloved by Korean people. Many writers have written poems, gasa (song texts), and travelogues after visiting Geumgangsan. Yi Sangsu, a writer in the late Joseon period, has also left both “Donghaesansu gi” (The Travelogue of Geumgangsan) and “Eodang geumgang byeolgok” (Yi Sangsu’s Song Text of Geumgnagsan). This essay fully analyzes literary characteristics of “Dong-haengsansu gi”. I examined what Geumgangsan meant to the author, what the author’s attitude was toward traveling to Geumgangsan, and what the author stressed in terms of descriptions in the narrative.
Geumgangsan is the source of national pride to Yi Sangsu. Thus, he stresses that Guemgangsan is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. He fully exercises his power of imagination to represent nature freely in the form of literature by observing Geumgangsan’s diverse scenes. Yi thinks that autonomous and active observation is necessary to any traveler who wants to appreciate the real beauty of Geumgangsan. For this reason, travelers need to be free from any desire of possessing natural beauty of Geumgangsan. Yi expresses more interest in Oegeumgang (Outer Geumgang) and Haegeumgang (Costal Geumgang) on purpose, which are often neglected by travelers, than Naegeumgang (Inner Geumgang). The author does not only focus on the description of the famous scenery but also other things he observes and experiences during the journey, including his mistakes.
“Dong-haengsansu gi” consists of twenty-two independent works concerning travels to Guemgangsan. Some of the works contain predicates in their titles. This demonstrates the author’s interest in describing the journey itself. Yi does not pay much attention to people, anecdotes, or cultural objects such as temples. Instead, he concentrates on natural objects and his impressions of them. This distinguishes “Dong-haengsansu gi” from his gasa “Eodang geumgang byeolgok” and other people’s travel records of Geumgangsan. Thus, he introduces his travels full of creative descriptions and detailed narratives.