17세기 한글편지를 통해 본 왕실 여성들의 삶과 문화 -『숙명신한첩』을 중심으로-

Abstract

This paper examines the lives and culture of women who resided within the royal court of the Joseon dynasty as it appears in the book "Sukmyeong Sinhancheop (淑明宸翰帖)." Queen Inseon wrote Hanguel letters to her married daughter describing her life of solitude and longing. Those letters also indicated that she expected her daughter to have a son who would carry on the family name and wanted to bring her grandchildren to the palace to be raised. Queen Inseon also sent letters warning her daughter to be on guard against topics prohibited in court as well as messages expressing her concerns for various family occasions. During this period, women of the royal court developed a new reading culture. They used to personally transcribe novels or share each other's'-books. This served as a momentum for women of the royal court to become the main readers, transcribers and even authors of novels. What is noteworthy here is the fact that women of the royal court, by being both the consumers and supporters of literature who actively and freely enjoyed novels of the period, played an important role in the history of women literature during the latter part of the Joseon dynasty. Experiencing two rounds of wars, the court tradition of performing Narye (儺禮) at the end of the year was discontinued during the 17th century. In the circumstance that the year-end Narye (儺禮) was abolished, another Narye (儺禮) which was performed to welcome Chinese ambassadors to the court became a point of interest for the women of the royal court. Within "Sukmyeong Sinhancheop (淑明宸翰帖)" can be found letters Queen Inseon sent to princess Sukmyeong that detail precise schedule of the Sandae (山臺) Narye (儺禮). As the description above of the women of the royal court taking an active interest in the Sandae (山臺) Narye (儺禮) reveals, women of the royal court were not only significant consumers of performing arts but also of literature.