Abstract

This paper attempts to research on some aspects of the state examination system in Joseon period and the meaning of the state examination in everyday life in Joseon, by inspection of some pieces of letters in Korean known as Jinseong Lee Dongpyo Family’s Korean letters. Lee Dongpyo (李東標, 1644-1700) was a civil official in Sukjong period, and the remaining thirty-six pieces of letters written by him known as mentioned above are evaluated as very precious historical data for studying everyday life in Joseon. The examination Lee has applied for on Feb 10th, the second year of Sukjong reign, was Grand Special Examination(Daejeunggwangsi) for commemorating even seven matters of royal congratulations, promised to pass forty applicants, even seven more than thirty-three of Regular Examination(Sikneyonsi). This was the most peculiar one in the whole five-hundred-year history of state examination, and also the most trouble- someone, as we take a look upon it below. Lee’s acceptance was later cancelled even though he himself didn’t cheated on the exam as some of others do. He probably just had to comply with his unfortunate fate in which he wasn’t to blame but only unlucky enough to unfairly treated only by the reason that he took the test with some cheating others. Later, Lee got through the examination after a great struggle. But for poor literati from countryside the woe is not over as they have to prepare themselves a lot after the acceptance. As they became a member of civil officials, they had to equip themselves everything required for the civil official as uniforms and belts, and transportation burden was also on themselves. In addition to that, the housing problem in late Joseon period made them dwell in acquaintance’s house or in the boarding house. The most severe thing for them is that they had to manage their own food and clothing by themselves as their family couldn’t come to the capital city. Life as an official might have meant to them another turmoil. Most of Joseon people retained an ambivalent attitude toward the state examination and the official life. On the one hand, they tried hard to succeed in this, at the same time tried to stay away from this secular business. An anecdote of an applicant who applied for the examination in order to comfort his grieving mother, purposedly late for the test, however, as he brushed his hair for thousand times, shows this ambivalent manner very strikingly. But the state examination was for Joseon people both of everyday life and of not-easy-to-acquire desire. Not only literates aspired for this, even illiterates were hard to throw off this from their mind. Of course, it was because the state examination was the only way to make one’s family prosperous and to be treated at least ‘humanely’. This was nevertheless the very reason for their ambivalence toward the examination. What Jinseong Lee Dongpyo Family’s Korean letters prove us is this manifold reality.