언간을 통해 본 19세기 양반가의 일상과 문화－초계 정씨 가문의 여성 한글 간찰을 중심으로－

Abstract

This study researches the cultural significance and the characteristics of Eongan(Korean old vernacular letter) materials of Chogye Jung’s clan as a noble family in Geochang region, Gyeongnam in the late 19th century. The Eongan preserved in Jung’s clan about 40 letters in total. The information of the writers and characters of these letters could be traced, and the background of the time could be determined as the 1880s-1890s. And they also show the intertextuality that could assume a specific personal affair or family history by recomposing individual information between letters. Especially, this study paid attention to ten letters by Mrs. Milyang Byeon who was a daughter-in-law of Jung’s clan. Those letters by Mrs. Byeon are very long and concrete, filled with vivid expressions, which is very different from Hangeul letters by other women in the late Joseon Dynasty. Through the old Hangeul letters by Mrs. Byeon, this study analyzed two things as follows. First, the noble women in the late Joseon Dynasty played the overall roles in the economic management and direction of clans. Second, they played the core roles like actively discussing and supporting the strategy and planning of civil service examinations for men. In the future, there should be more detailed follow-up researches on the rest letters of Jung’s clan. The themes like the relationship of main characters shown in Eongan of Jung’s clan, examination of personal affairs of each character, and the recomposition of family history would be handled in the next research.