신문관의 조선고소설 출판물에 나타난 전통과 근대: 책의 형태서지적 성격을 중심으로 = Tradition and Modernity in the Joseon Classic Novels of Sinmungwan: A Focus on a Bibliographical Study of the Books

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article examines the collection and publication activities of Joseon classic novels by the Joseon Gwangmunhoe and the Sinmungwan, both established by Choe Nam-seon in the 1910s, with particular attention to the bibliographical characteristics of the books. The Joseon Gwangmunhoe was devoted to preserving and disseminating traditional Korean literature, while the Sinmungwan functioned as an institution that introduced new cultural currents and produced new literature. The activities of these two organizations rarely overlapped, except in the case of classic novels: the Joseon Gwangmunhoe collected them, and the Sinmungwan published them. Among these works, the Yukjeon Soseol (Six-Coin Novels) published by the Sinmungwan is especially noteworthy for embodying a dual function—both the inheritance of traditional literature and the embrace of new culture.
This study focuses on the publication and cultural significance of the classic works collected by the Joseon Gwangmunhoe and the Joseon classic novels published by the Sinmungwan, with particular emphasis on their bibliographical features, including cover designs, printing technology, typography, paper, and text layout. The findings suggest that the formal characteristics of these books, as revealed through the activities of the Joseon Gwangmunhoe and the Sinmungwan, represent an attempt to secure the literary-historical status of Joseon classic novels. By clothing traditional novels in the modern exterior of new typography and binding, these works were reborn as artifacts of modern culture.
This effort to position Joseon classic novels as a central subject in literary history, and to produce formally established publications using the most advanced printing resources of the time, amounted to a declaration of intent: these novels were not mere relics of the past but living works in the present. The Sinmungwan’s attempt to elevate classic novels into the realm of recognized “literary fiction” by highlighting their traditional value and preserving their original form and dignity continued to influence later Joseon publishing, and is closely tied to the broader study of the direction of modern publishing.