유득공 산문의 양상과 그 위치

초록

This study undertakes a comprehensiveexamination of Yu Deuk-gong's prose writings in order to assess hisintellectual position within The Silhak(實學) tradition. Although Yu Deuk-gong was primarily a man of letters whodemonstrated his literary talent through classical Chinese poetry rather thanthrough orthodox prose, his prose corpus—if thus defined—necessarily encompasses works such as Goun-dang Pilgi (古芸堂筆記), GyeongdoJapji (京都雜志), and Yeolha Gihaeng Siju (熱河紀行詩註), which belong to the genres of Pilgi(筆記) and historical-geographicalwritings. The present study classifies and analyzes these texts under threethematic categories: customs, script and language, and history and geography. In the study of customs, Yu Deuk-gongmay be said to have virtually "invented" the field, having opened adistinctly independent domain of inquiry. By extending his examination ofcustoms beyond the central and provincial contexts of Joseon to include theKorean Peninsula and the Manchurian region as a single cultural sphere of customs,he secured an objective horizon for the understanding of Korean customs. Such adiscovery and structuring of customs represents another significant facet of The Silhak tradition that Yu Deuk-gong helped to pioneer. In therealm of script and language, Yu Deuk-gong, while fundamentally emphasizingthe value of his own nation's script, discerned a linguistic affinity betweenthe Korean language and those of the northern regions, thereby postulating theexistence of a shared linguistic sphere. This perspective constitutes adistinctive feature that sets him apart from the group of contemporary scholarswho engaged in the study of language and writing during his time.In regard to history and geography, these themes have long been the focus ofextensive scholarly discussion. In this study, rather than concentrating onsystematic historical works such as Balhaego (渤海考) or Sagunzi (四郡志), attentionis directed toward fragmentary cases found within Yu Deuk-gong's collections ofmiscellaneous writings pilgi, therebyapproaching the subject from a different analytical perspective. The findingsreveal that Yu Deuk-gong's historical thought sought to reconstruct a Goguryeo-centeredhistory, situating its temporal and spatial framework in the regions of Goguryeo and Liaodong. His geographical concern, meanwhile, was oriented towardthe internal borderlands and territorial boundaries, aiming to reorganize themfor purposes of practical utility. Consequently, it may beconcluded that Yu Deuk-gong, through his investigations into customs, language,and history, sought to connect Joseon's culture not only within its internalframework but also with that of the northern regions, thereby constructing arelative cultural sphere that transcended geographic and political boundaries.His perspective, in this regard, was grounded in a culturally relativisticperspective, recognizing the coexistence of multiple cultural systems. The key characteristics of YuDeuk-gong's prose lie in the fact that, although certain elements of iyong(利用) are not entirely absent, his orientation differs considerably fromthat of the Iyong Husaeng(利用厚生) group—figures such as PakChi-won(朴趾源) and Pak Je-ga(朴齊家)—whotook social reform and the betterment of people's livelihoods as their centralconcerns. Rather, Yu's prose writing is characterized by a rigorous pursuit offactual truth through meticulous textual verification and dialecticalreasoning. This scholarly tendency aligns more closely with the Silsagusi(實事求是) tradition that later coalesced around Kim Jeong-hui(金正喜). Although further study is needed, theconclusion of this discussion is that Yu Deuk-gong occupied a precursoryposition within that Silsagusi intellectual lineage.

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