The Review of Korean Studies
- P-ISSN1229-0076
- E-ISSN2733-9351
- SCOPUS, ESCI
ISSN : 1229-0076
Vol.28 No.1
Abstract
Gift-giving was one of the most traditional and customary practices in the diplomatic relations of premodern Northeast Asia, and one of the gifts invariably included during such exchanges was ceremonial clothing. Ceremonial clothing was used as a means of embodying the Confucian concept of “decorum” and therefore an important instrument of political diplomacy. The act of exchanging ceremonial clothing was often a symbolic method of affirming political and diplomatic hierarchies and signaling mutual acknowledgement and recognition. Throughout history, the kings of Goryeo received ceremonial clothing from the emperors of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties, with particular significance given to the special official uniform worn under the emperor’s reign. However, after the Mongols established their world empire, the kings of Korea no longer received the sort of ceremonial clothing they did from the former emperors. Mongolia had an entirely different set of customs and culture pertaining to clothing, which was sometimes viewed as barbaric by the people of Goryeo. Although not conventionally ceremonial uniforms, various Mongolian-style clothing items such as hats, clothing accessories, and fabrics were gifted from Mongolia to Goryeo during this time. This diversity in clothing gifts underscores that the relationship between the two nations was mediated not merely by political but also by interpersonal relations based on amity and kinship. Furthermore, the acceptance and active use of Mongolian-style ceremonial clothing gifts by the Koreans reflect the fact that the people of Goryeo recognized the culture of the Mongolian empire as the prevalent culture of their era.
Abstract
This study reexamines Yi Deok-mu (1741–1793) as a “social reader” and analyzes the formation of his work Cheongbirok through the theoretical lens of “interpretive communities.” While traditional literary history often emphasizes individual genius, this paper argues that literary innovation emerges through complex networks of social interaction, material conditions, and collaborative meaning-making. By tracing how Yi’s personal reading practices intersected with his various interpretive communities—including his immediate intellectual circle in Joseon, cross-border networks with the Qing literati, and the broader East Asian publishing culture—this study reveals the profoundly social nature of literary production in late Joseon Korea. The research makes three primary contributions. First, it demonstrates how Yi’s reinterpretation of Wang Shizhen’s shenyun aesthetic was not merely passive reception but an active process of cultural translation mediated by multiple interpretive communities. Second, it analyzes how the flexible pilgi (miscellaneous writings) format facilitated new modes of knowledge dissemination and literary interpretation within these communities. Third, it examines Yi’s distinctive critical vocabulary centered on “lucidity” (cheong), showing how his aesthetic framework developed through dialogic engagement with both Chinese literary concepts and local interpretive contexts. By examining the social dimensions of literary development in late Joseon, this study challenges conventional models of literary influence and contributes to broader scholarly conversations about reader response theory, cross-cultural literary exchange in East Asia, and the material conditions of knowledge production. It reveals Cheongbirok not as an isolated achievement but as the product of an interconnected network of readers, writers, and texts that collectively shaped new directions in Korean literary history.