The Women Writers of Joseon

Some of the greatest artifacts that help us to understand the past are the writings left behind by previous generations. Korea is no different. While each period of Korea’s history is home to influential and significant writings, the Joseon period in particular was a time when the arts and literature itself flourished. There are many historical records remaining from this period that were written by men; however, there are only a small number of literary pieces that remain in existence which were written by women. Most of these were published beginning from the 16^th century, and thanks to them, we are able to read about and understand the events of this period through the perspective and voices of women.

 

While it’s true that most of the literature written and left behind by women dates back to the early 16^th century of the Joseon period, opportunities for women to learn to read and write increased significantly after the promulgation of Hangul in 1446. Not only did this make writing more accessible to women, it also meant that they no longer had to learn Hanja (Chinese characters) in order to be able to create pieces of literature. Hangul was much easier to learn, and the amount of time it took to learn it was relatively short. Prior to Hangul’s invention, it took years of intensive study to be able to learn to read and write, which oftentimes only men had the time and resources to do so. However, this is not to say that there weren’t any women before Hangul was published who were able to learn Hanja. In fact, some women, mostly those who belonged to the noble class, were able to grasp opportunities to learn Hanja because of the men in their families.

 

Unfortunately, the majority of the literary works left behind which are believed to have been written by women have authors who are unknown. According to research, there are a number of possible reasons for this. One of these is that these women would write in groups as part of a collective effort, thus there was no one author. Another is that, because these poems were intended for friends and acquaintances, there was no need for the woman to write her name. In addition, it is believed that these women were afraid that their personal emotions would be made public. While it’s a shame that these writings give no indication as to whom their author is, there is a significant number of literary pieces in which we do know the author’s name. One of the most celebrated women writers of this period is Heo Chohui, otherwise known by her pseudonym as Heo Nanseolheon. The daughter of a scholar household, her works were different from other female writers, and from an early age, her poems were praised by those around her. She broke from the norms of her class by writing about things such as the unhappiness she felt in her married life, class disparity, the literary world, and society itself. The emotions and opinions portrayed in her works were seen as inappropriate for women or the nobility to write about, slightly mirroring the literary work of gisaengs.

 

The women of the different classes each had their own literary style and the class which they belonged to had an influence on their writings. However, evidence suggests that, their class differences notwithstanding, these women preferred to write in a free-form style rather than write poetry in a fixed form. In addition, themes such as han and longing were popular among women as well. Perhaps some of the most prolific writers belonged to the gisaeng class. Either despite or because they were considered to be a part of the lowest class, these women had much more freedoms when it came to their writings than those in the other classes. Not only was their style of writing unique, but the content was considered to be groundbreaking. In addition, the training they received from an early age gave them the opportunity to learn both Hanja and Hangul. Their writings were not limited to only han and longing; they also included themes of loneliness, hwa, and lost loves. However; no matter how groundbreaking these works were, most of the literary pieces written by women from this period that exist to this day were written by the women of the nobility. Unlike the women of the lower-class, who were busy with housework and were limited to an education related to the home, the noblewomen had time to learn the arts and literature. While the gisaeng were able to learn to read and write with fewer limitations, the women of the nobility often learned in secret. The works they produced usually spoke of married life and family issues. It is possible that there are other works from these groups of women which touched on other emotions and topics as well, but unfortunately these literary pieces remain elusive to this day.

 

Despite women writers playing a significant role in the development of Korean literature, there are a lot of unknowns in the field of womens’ literature that call for further exploration. More research is needed to improve our understanding of these women and their works, which remain hidden like gems waiting to be discovered.

 

 

Written by: Nicole Bradshaw

Senior at University of Hawai’i at Manoa majoring in Korean for Professionals as part of the Korean Language Flagship Program. Previous student at Sogang University’s Korean Language Education Center. Currently participating in an internship at Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK).