蘆溪 朴仁老의 社會的 位相에 대한 再檢討

Abstract

The academic sector generally expressed Nogye's social status as ‘a fallen rural noble class.’ Recently, however, there have been scholars who have presented completely different opinion. They argue that Nogye was from a wealthy and powerful noble family that represented the Bak Family of Miryang, the most noted family of Yeongcheon and lived a confident life doing what was appropriate for his social class. However, the following are the reasons why it is hard to agree with their opinion: First, there are noticeably many pieces of Nogye that were written by others' 'orders' including Sangsagok and Gwonjuga that were written by the 'orders' of the sons of Yi Duk Hyung who were only between 20 and 30 years of age. If Nogye were a powerful nobleman, it wouldn't have been possible for the sons of Yi Duk Hyung to 'order' Nogye who was close to their father to write the songs. Second, it is clear that Nogye was a literary man of Jung Goo and Hyun Gwang Jang and it is recorded that he learned from Jo Ho Ik. However, Nogye is not mentioned in the list of names of pupils of Jung Goo, Hyun Gwang Jang, and Jo Ho Ik. Considering that his name is missing from all records related to him, we can assume that he may have been alienated from the noble families for some reason. Third, Nogye's autobiography records that he once lost his farm and treasured whip to someone else. This anecdote tells us that Nogye was not a powerful nobleman, but a social weak Fourth, the family records of the Bak Family of Miryang shows that Nogye's uncle, Bak Rin, adopted his far nephew, Bak Sa Shin, and it is wondered why he adopted a far relative when Nogye's three brothers were his closer nephews. Also, Nogye's name is missing in the older family records of the Bak Family of Miryang several times, so we can assume that Nogye was not from a powerful noble family. Fifth, the tombs of Nogye's father, Nogye, and his brothers on the hill across from Dogye Seowon are very poorly set and managed. The appearance of his family graveyard must reflect the social status of his family. Considering the above findings, it shall be reconsidered that Nogye was from a confident and powerful noble family. If my opinion is valid, many of the theses reported to the academic sector shall be reconsidered and my study would be helpful for further studies on Nogye.