Sung Min-kyung

translated by Lin Yu-yi

Abstract

This paper examines the historical development of Confucian Women's classics[女訓書] in the Joseon Dynasty and the aspects of visual correction for women in the early and late Joseon periods, and explores their meaning. Enlightenment and sensation were one of the main premise of expressing women in paintings from Joseon Dynasty to mid-term through early modern times. Enlightenment and sensation were acting on the basis of allowing women to be settled as icons, and the closeness reminds us of the need to consider the role and meaning of visual image in enlightenment. In the early Joseon Dynasty, the Confucian Women's classics and visual edification for women were mainly based on the statue of the Hyun-bi[賢妃] led by the royal family and a physically sacrificed female figure. In addition to this, in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty, more closely related contents were added to the daily life, as the Sadaebu[士大夫] became the center. Visualization in the form of a folding screen that can be seen in everyday life focuses on the contents that can be performed in married life in the home of the husband's parents in the late Joseon Dynasty. In other words, this change is an indicator of the patriarchy advanced in the late Joseon Dynasty.

Keywords: Joseon Dynasty , Confucian Women's classics(女訓書) , Patriarchy , Iconography of Women, Visual Education