운포(雲圃) 이중린(李中麟) 간찰로 본 19세기 말 사돈간 교유 양상

초록

This study examines twenty-nine letters written by Yunpo(雲圃) Yi Jung-rin(李中麟, 1838～1917) to his in-law Unjae(雲齋) Kim Byeong-hwang(金秉璜, 1845～1914). The original texts were transcribed and translated, and their contents were analyzed to shed light on the concrete aspects of in-law correspondence in the late nineteenth century. The letters reveal four major aspects of interaction. First, negotiations over the daughter’s visits to her natal home and her return to her husband’s household demonstrate the particular characteristics of in-law relations mediated by marriage. Second, expressions of livelihood difficulties—such as toothaches, house repairs, farming labor, and the burdens of preparing dowries—expose the hardships of everyday life and elicited emotional sympathy and consolation among relatives. Third, concerns over contemporary affairs and social critique—covering foreign encroachment, outbreaks of epidemics, corruption of officials, and decline of public discipline—directly reflected the political and social anxieties of the time. Fourth, emotional exchange and literary communication, through the exchange of poetry, citation of classical allusions, humor, and modest expressions, served to deepen cultural solidarity and communal consciousness. Through these analyses, it is confirmed that the letters between Yi Jung-rin and Kim Byeong-hwang functioned not merely as records of family greetings, but as a venue of social and cultural communication mediated by in-law relations.

키워드