Features of Korean Book Culture Readership of Early Joseon (XIV-XVI Centuries)

Abstract

The study of printing history in Korea, like in any other country, cannot be considered complete without a detailed consideration of the readership, since the presence of the consumer of printed books gives meaning to the whole cycle of the book business. Review of the socio-economic and cultural context of the first half of the Joseon period makes it possible to identify certain features of the Far Eastern region. The dominant role of Confucianism created conditions for the “bilingualismˮ of published book products. After the invention of national writing, the readership of “highˮ literature written in Chinese, and “lowˮ, written in Korean, differed not only among social positions but also between genders. Hanmun literature remained the prerogative of men of the noble class (yangban), while most women of the same class read stories, novels and other books published in Korean. The main part of the readership was represented by an educated noble stratum - the yangban. In the time of the Joseon kingdom, this class was the main producer and consumer of knowledge and culture as aristocratic scientists made up only about 10% of the Korean population. Another literate social group, roughly equal in numbers, was the jungin class (literally “middle manˮ). They were usually “technical expertsˮ - translators, scribes, astronomers, accountants, doctors, lawyers, and musicians. This class also included provincial officials of the lower ranks. The lack of a formed book market with sufficiently high demand also exerted a unique influence on the social composition of the readers, since the acquisition of books was equated to the acquisition of rare material values, which created an aura of elitism and high significance around book production and all its related phenomena and processes.