Si-jo has been regarded as national literature or people's literature. We can't deny that Si-jo is one of the most representative Korean genres as it has been here in Korea for about 700 years with a traditional tune and unique form.
Now it's time to...
Si-jo has been regarded as national literature or people's literature. We can't deny that Si-jo is one of the most representative Korean genres as it has been here in Korea for about 700 years with a traditional tune and unique form.
Now it's time to consider our traditional lyric Si-jo through thinking it over in the objective point of view and comparing the influence between Korean and Chinese literature in the comparative-literature point of view.
We can call poetry people's literature or national literature only when it is enjoyed not by part of the people but by most of the people who live in the country, when it has its own proper form different from other countries' ones, and when it is used to express their own thought and emotion which the majority of the people have.
Considering all of the above, we are sure that Si-jo is the national literature in its form but not in its contents because there are, if we took into it carefully, more factors influenced by China than we ever know. I strongly doubt whether Si-jo contains the general sentiment and feeling most Koreans have.
In this study, I'd like to make dear who had enjoyed Si-jo, what were their views of poetry, how they developed their views through Si-jo. Then I'd like to clarify the characteristics of the lyric Si-jo in the objective point of view.
In order to do that I took the following steps : First I searched for those who had written and recited Si-jo. Second, as I thought it was Sa-daebus who had enjoyed them, I investigated Chinese Confucians' outlook on poetry whose view had seemed to affect on that of Sa-dae-bue' in Korea. Third, I examined what had been the sa-dae-bue' attitude toward poetry from the end of the Goryeo Dynasty to the end of the Yi Dynasty and how it had showed on Si-jo. Fourth, I inquired into the Chinese effects on the Si-jo from both Confucianism and Taoism, or Chinese tendency on them from both poetry and prose especially in Tang and Song Dynasties by analyzing Si-jo.
Major findings of this study are as follows :
1. It's wrong that Si-jo is the national literature, for people who had loved it were not all Koreans, the old and the young, high and low, men and women, but only a few Koreans, Sa-dae-bus.
2. So, it contains sentiment of the minority, Sa-dae-bu instead of that of the majority, all Koreans.
3. When I examined the view of Taoism (that of Shin China Confucius, Mencius, Choucius) which had influenced deeply in forming that of Sa-dae-bus in Korea, I found out that the Taoists had regarded poetry as moral law like Coducius' Sa-mu-sa or the container of morality with which man could enlighten himself purify h%is feeling, and refine his morality. In other words, Taoists seemed to esteem high the utility of poetry. Their poetry was based on mildness and gentleness while its main tones was joy or pleasure and its subsidiary tone was love or hate.
4. Sa-dae-bus who lived in the Yi Dynasty in which Confucianism was the national policy or the state religion worshiped and respected the powerful county, China so much that they accepted Confucians' view of poetry. It means that Sa-dae-bus' view of poetry was like that of Confucians, writings are teachings.
5. Si-jo based on Sa-dae-bus' attitude toward poetry failed to express personality vividly like love affairs and got some limitations with a little variety of expression because of sentiment imitative, patterned.
6. Even though Confucianism was predominant in the Yi Dynasty, and was believed by almost all the Sa-dae-bus. I found out that lots of factors from Taoism were also accepted into Si-jo by the Sa-dae-bus who attached and hated Taoism because it had already been rooted deeply in them as a kind of religion.
7. Furthermore, Sa-dae-bus should learn Chinese writing with Chinese poetry and prose so as to be cultured learned men and express themselves in Chinese characters in everyday lives.
8. I discovered that Si-jo had more poetical images and contents from Chinese literature (especially from those of poets in Tang and Song)
In conclusion, I found out that there are more Chinese elements in Si-jo than we ever know. So far Si-jo has been believed to be national literature without deep consideration, and to have general sentiment of all Koreans, but I think this prevailing opinion should be reconsidered.