古歡堂 姜瑋의 「擬三政捄弊策」에 나타난 작자의식과 서술적 특징

Abstract

This paper explores the narrative characteristics and the writer’s consciousness found in the “Uisamjeonggupyechaek” which Kang Wi composed in Cheoljong’s effort to seek advice from his vassals about how to handle the 1862 Imsul-Year People’s Revolt. This specificity as an taechaek, an answer to King’s question, which was an unsubmitted document, knowledgeable authentic precedent, elaborate logic and elegant writing style makes it appropriate to use to closely investigate the literary history of the Joseon Dynasty’s policies regarding important affairs. Kang Wi highly regarded Cheoljong’s advice-seeking efforts in the Imsul-Year. He wrote the “Uisamjeonggupyechaeck” as a manuscript devoted to his personal experiences and theory of governance. On the surface, Kang Wi’s motivation for composing this text was due to the strong recommendation of his close ally, Jeong Keon-Jo. However, in reality, it was a strong sentiment that drove Kang Wi, who could not achieve what he had desired in such adverse circumstances, despite his prominent knowledge and great reputation, to express his anger and frustration at the contradictions and irrational political atmosphere of his time. The “Uisamjeonggupyechaeck”, which contains approximately 30,000 characters, consistently asserts that large-scale reforms needed to be made with a focus on Military Policy, thus upholding the original intentions of the old statutes that served as the root of the Three Policies, which are related to land, military and relief work. In this manuscript, Kang Wi uses the reality he had witnessed as strong points to drive his narrative, describing events exactly as they had unfolded. It is a formal and practical text that proposes measures to rectify harmful situations supported by administrative knowledge and logic with rhetorical devices to persuade its reader, the king. Even when faithfully answering chaekje, the King’s questions, Kang Wi did not focus on using typical formal language with its excessive praise or justifications that would often be seen in taechaek written as an exam’s model answer. Rather, he showed a narrative style that evokes empathy by describing the circumstances of the people’s revolt in great detail, using rhetorical devices, such as paradoxes and irony, to appeal to his audience.