earticle

영어

This thesis tries to find the way the humanities should seek by exploring trip accounts of Mt. Jiri written in the Joseon era. It first examines how people in the Joseon era perceived Mt. Jiri, and then inquires into the spirit of the humanities expressed in trip accounts of Mt. Jiri. The results are summarized as follows. In the Joseon era Mt. Jiri was called by Mt. Jiri, Mt. Bangjang, Mt. Duryu or Mt. Deok. Especially Mt. Duryu was used more frequently than other names. That was because people of the era considered the Baekdu mountain range as the spine of the Korean peninsula and perceived the mountain range that started from Mt. Baekdu and extended to Mt. Duryu as the axis of the nation. This represented their geographical perception on the nation‘s territory and was based on their historical perception on their ethnic roots. In addition, Mt. Jiri‘s various names are quite important because they tell the history of Korean people. There are few mountains at home and abroad whose names are as meaningful as those of Mt. Jiri. Yu Mong-in acclaimed Mt. Jiri as the best mountain in Korea by likening it the writer Samacheon and the poet Dubo. He said that compared with other mountains, Mt. Jiri had more flesh and less bone, which made the mountain look higher and bigger than it actually was. He also added that its bone was its strongpoint and its abundant flesh meant the aggregation of its all strong points like Samacheon‘s writing or Dubo‘s poems. He perceived these characteristics of Mt. Jiri as the “union“ or “synthesis“ of its all merits. He commented not based on its individual merit but its overall aspects that the mountain was grand and prominent. His comment is the spirit of uniting we today speak of. This thesis inquires into the spirit of the humanities shown in trip accounts of Mt. Jiri in the following eight parts: 1) the world of lofty spirit acquired from nature, 2) reverence for nature and literary imagination, 3) reflection upon oneself, 4) perception of history at historical sites, 5)geographical insight on the nature of the nation, 6) critical comments and records on religion and folk things, 7) perception on the lives of civilian life, and 8) ecology and vegetation Likewise, Mt. Jiri shows the way the humanities today should seek. The way can be the one Jo Sik sought to reach the way of heaven, the one his followers sought to acquire virtue through the door leading to human virtues or the one people climbed through the valley of Daewonsa to reach the root of what is right. Besides, the way can be the one in which people reflect upon themselves, show their literary imagination, experience reverence for nature or find historical sites. Furthermore, it can the one in which people find the geographical features of the nation, experience religion and folk things, feel civilians‘ real life, or examine the nation‘s ecology and vegetation.