The Poetic World of Classic Korean Women Writers, By Lee Hai-soon, Translated by Hur Won-jae (Ewha Womans University Press)

They were prohibited from public education and had to work against a male-dominated world to leave their literary legacy.

Scholar Lee Hai-soon’s English-language book, “The Poetic World of Classic Korean Women Writers,” features 13 female poets from Korea’s Joseon era ― the time period when Chinese was regarded as the common written language in East Asia. She dedicates a chapter to each of the poets, as well as their lives and work.

“It is generally from the 16th century that female writers authored a significant number of works of literature or consciously lived the life of a writer,” Lee writes in the book. 

“Even in this period, however, there were only a few who made any effort to leave their entire work for posterity. This indicates that female writers could not overcome the social ideology of the time that did not consider the act of writing to be a woman’s primary duty.”

The first chapter is dedicated to gisaeng ― an entertainer of noblemen ― Hwang Jin-i (1520-1560), who was known for her exceptional beauty and literary talent. She was said to be friends with some of the most renowned intellectuals at the time, including Seo Gyeong-deok and So Se-yang. They would write poems for each other whenever they held their private gatherings.

Lee introduces some of Hwang’s most famous poems, including “Manwoldae Reminiscence,” which she wrote to express her emotional attachment to her hometown, Gaegyeong. The city served as the capital and the cultural hub of the long gone Goryeo Kingdom. “Only the monk left behind dreams of the lonely scenery,” Hwang wrote in the poem. “Only the broken tower remains of those glorious days.”

“A gisaeng with low class status, born and raised in the center of the former Goryeo kingdom, Hwang Jin-i was an outsider at a time when Hanyang (now Seoul) had taken its rightful place as the capital of the Joseon Dynasty,” Lee explains in the book.

Another female writer featured is Heo Nanseolheon, (1563-1589), who is also known as the older sister of prominent Joseon author Heo Gyun (1569-1618).

Unlike Hwang Jin-i, Heo was born into a noble family, and was said to have shown her literary talent at a young age. But because of her position as a woman, she wasn’t allowed to publish nor get recognition for her works.

Heo suffered an unhappy marriage, as her husband would often leave her alone in the house and get involved with other women. She did not get along with her mother-in-law, either, and her two children both died in infancy. She died about a year after the death of her elder brother, Heo Pong.

“Although the orchid’s beauty never fades/ Its clear fragrance will never die,” Heo wrote in her poem titled “Contemplating One’s Sorrows.”

“My heart aches before every living thing/ My sleeves are wet with tears.”

Lee offers an interesting analysis of Heo’s life and works, suggesting that the subjects of her poems are very similar to those of the female writers of lower social status.

“It can be assumed that Heo received adverse criticism from men from noble families because she, like gisaeng, revealed her personal longings and complaints in her poems, which was a digression from what male readers did,” Lee explains in the book.

Other featured writers include Lee Ok-bong, a 16th century concubine who born as the illegitimate daughter of a royal family; Kang Jeongildang (1772-1832), who often wrote poems on her husband’s behalf; and Nam Jeongilheon (1840-1922), a 19th century poet who strictly followed Confucian tradition and values.

“Women writers included not only the subjects of love and family problems in their poems, but also a variety of concerns about the history of the past, along with the social reality of the period, of nature, and of customs,” writes Lee in the book.

“Lee Ok-bong, on her way to Youngwol, revealed her sense of history, thinking of King Danong, who died there. It is also amazing that the poem written by Nam Jeongilheon, while escaping from a foreign invasion, states ‘Do not worry about the wicked acts by the Western fleet.’”

Scholar Lee Hai-soon graduated from Seoul National University’s Korean literature program, and received her Ph.D. in Chinese literature from National Taiwan Normal University. She’s been teaching at Ewha Womans University since 1973. She has published a number of books on Korea’s female writers in earlier time periods, including “Collections of Korean Virtuous Women,” and “A study on Korean Classical Women Literature.”

(dyc@heraldcorp.com)