Representation Strategy and Subject Formation in Hanjungnok

The aim of this article is to examine how Lady Hyegyeong made use of a writing strategy in order to represent herself in her autobiography, Hanjungnok 閑中 (A Record of Sorrowful Days), as well as created her subject through it. Lady Hyegyeong employed her chosen strategies of seeking an approach compromising with men as well as choosing the morality of justice and rights in order to be accepted into the androcentric society to a certain extent. On the one hand, she adhered to her view, using representation strategy by referring to the trouble between her husband, Sado, the crown prince of the Joseon dynasty, and her father-in-law, King Yeongjo, as an unavoidable lunacy; on the other hand, she pursued political power by writing to resist suppressed reality. Therefore, it can be argued that Hanjungnok was written to achieve two purposes: intimation of the tragic event, the Incident of the Imo Year (1762), and acquirement of political authority. To this end, she utilized unified representation strategies combining femininity and masculinity. This article will demonstrate why a woman suppressed by traditional society denied the imposed silence and sought to write her autobiography.

keywords: Lady Hyegyeong, Hanjungnok, autobiography, subject, representation strategy

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Article Contents

Vol.52 No.4

Representation Strategy and Subject Formation in Hanjungnok

Abstract

Reference

Korea Journal