이용휴 문학에 나타난 서학적 개념의 수용과 변용

Abstract

This paper aims to identify and analyze the influence and meaning of the western learning reflected in Lee Yong-Hyu’s literary works. Lee Yong-Hyu was an author in the eighteenth century with an open attitude to new thoughts from the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, several members of his family and colleagues embraced Catholicism. Thus, Lee Yong-Hyu is expected to have been influenced by western learning as well. In Dear Jeong Jae-jong (贈鄭在中), Lee quoted “A Blind Man’s Tale” from the book of The Seven Victories (七克) to emphasize the importance of “introspection” and “moral training.” In Hwanajam (還我箴), he swore an oath to God that he would recover his “real self” (in this context, the “real self” strongly appears as a meaning of a moral subject, which differs from an external object). The word “independence (自主)” that Lee wrote in Aamgi (我菴記) also implies a strong identity that is not swayed by other people or external objects. Lee Yong-Hyu’s concepts of “I (我)” and the real “I (眞我),” with such a strong identity and internality, are related to the concepts in western learning books translated into Korean. In addition, Lee often ascribed personality and non-randomness to the world-moving power, or reason, through expressions, such as “jomul (造物),” and “johwa (造化).” In Bangseonghonyimyung (方星渾儀銘), in particular, the author adopted a form of reasoning from western learning books translated into Korean, such as Manmuljinwon (萬物眞源), to deny all creation’s self-fulfillment (自成) and to stress on jumul’s non-randomness. Lee, however, insisted on recognizing jomul (造物) as a sort of external object and preserving the identity of “I (我)” so as it would not be affected by the fate made by jomulju (造物主). It is believed that this kind of thought system could prevent the notion of jomul from being expanded to a religious matter. Traces of western learning found in Lee Yong-Hyu’s sentences reflect the efforts by an intellectual in the Joseon period to absorb western learning as long as the western concepts did not conflict with his own frame of thought and to modify these concepts in an appropriate manner. Lee’s writings can present illustrations of how the impact of western learning in Joseon’s intellectual world went beyond the Confucian classics, religion, science, and even literature.