申叔舟가 활동했던 세종에서 성종에 이르는 시기, 15세기는 한국 역사상에서 가장 國力이 伸張하고 문화가 찬연히 꽃피었던 시대로 기록되었다. “開我文明漢水陽”(한강 언덕에 우리의 문명을 열었도다)－당시 신숙주가 적절히 표현했듯, 조선왕조의 건설과 함께 한강의 문명이 開花했던 것이다. 이 ‘문화의 시대’를 주도한 것은 官僚的 文人들이었는데 신숙주는 그 대표적인 인물이다. 본고는 15세기 國家와 文化를 몽골 제국의 해체와 함께 일어난 세계사적 변화와 관련해서 설명한 것이다. 동아시아에 있어서는 元明의 교체와 함께 高麗에서 朝鮮으로의 역사 전환이 일어났다. 한반도의 歷史 轉換을 주도한 세력은 고려말에 성장한 사대부 문인 지식층인데, 이들은 원제국과 빈번한 교류를 가졌던 시기에 동인으로서 자기인식과 문명의식을 각성했다. 조선왕조의 건설과 함께 이루어진 문화적 상승은 고려말에 형성된 ‘東人의 文明意識의 현실화’로 해석할 수 있다.

The Times of Shin Sook-joo and His Literature: Realization of Sa-dae-bu(士大夫)'s Civilization Consciousness Lim, Hyong-taek The times of Shin Sook Joo, from King Se-jong till King Sung-jong was the most flamboyant age of culture and that era, 15th century was also the age of national power too. Even, Professor Bruce Cummings commented that Korean culture of that era surpassed European culture of same era. “Over the hill of Han river, we inaugurated our civilization.” Like Shin's reference, Cho-sun Dynasty opened the civilization of Han river and that era of culture was innovated by Shin and his colleagues, the bureaucratic literati. In this essay, I want to explain the relationship between the historical events like the collapse of Yuan Empire and the founding of Cho-sun Dynasty in 15th century. After collapse of Yuan Empire, the kind of world-system, the whole world could never be the same, so in East Asia, Koryo Dynasty was changed to Cho-sun dynasty and it was innovated by Sadaebu, the bureaucratic literati. They could achieve their identity as Easterner and civilization consciousness through the cultural intercourses to Yuan Empire. The inauguration of Chosun Dynasty and its cultural improvement can be understood as the realization of civilization consciousness of Easterner which was molded in late Koryo era.

The Times of Shin Sook-joo and His Literature: Realization of Sa-dae-bu(士大夫)'s Civilization Consciousness Lim, Hyong-taek The times of Shin Sook Joo, from King Se-jong till King Sung-jong was the most flamboyant age of culture and that era, 15th century was also the age of national power too. Even, Professor Bruce Cummings commented that Korean culture of that era surpassed European culture of same era. “Over the hill of Han river, we inaugurated our civilization.” Like Shin's reference, Cho-sun Dynasty opened the civilization of Han river and that era of culture was innovated by Shin and his colleagues, the bureaucratic literati. In this essay, I want to explain the relationship between the historical events like the collapse of Yuan Empire and the founding of Cho-sun Dynasty in 15th century. After collapse of Yuan Empire, the kind of world-system, the whole world could never be the same, so in East Asia, Koryo Dynasty was changed to Cho-sun dynasty and it was innovated by Sadaebu, the bureaucratic literati. They could achieve their identity as Easterner and civilization consciousness through the cultural intercourses to Yuan Empire. The inauguration of Chosun Dynasty and its cultural improvement can be understood as the realization of civilization consciousness of Easterner which was molded in late Koryo era.