Reviews
I will read this carefully and gain a better understanding of the middle class of Joseon.
As I have a keen interest in stories related to our history, particularly regarding the middle class of Joseon, I frequently read history books. I am delighted to see that many history books currently on the market possess professional depth yet are not as difficult or dry as academic papers; instead, they are written at a level that general readers can understand as general knowledge books. I believe that figures like Yi I-hwa and Kim Deok-il have contributed significantly to popularizing
In the social class system of the Joseon Dynasty, the "Jungin" (middle class) were a generation sandwiched between the Yangban and the Cheonmin, and it seems reasonable to view them as having characteristics somewhat distinct from the commoners. In modern terms, they were professionals who played the most significant roles in fields where vocational expertise was paramount. Through TV dramas, we can imagine many members of the Jungin, and we can see that they played a role in advancing the
Following Heo Gyeong-jin’s previous work, *Biographies of Joseon Commoners* (Alma, 2014), *Biographies of Joseon Middle-class People* has been published. The official title is *The Middle-class People of Joseon* (RH Korea, 2015). Upon finishing the book, one cannot help but agree with the message that "it was the middle class, not the literati, who created King Jeongjo's Renaissance." The author introduces a large number of 19th-century Joseon middle-class individuals who were active in fields
Heo Gyeong-jin: The middle class of Joseon
The Jungin were an intermediate class situated between the Yangban and the commoners; they fell far short of the Sadaebu and were marginal figures who were not respected by the commoners or the lowest class. Although they were treated merely as figures who assisted the royal family, the Sadaebu, and the Yangban, or who filled minor government posts, their passion for work and the arts was truly extraordinary. *The Jungin of Joseon* is a book that captures the stories of the Jungin who spearheaded Joseon's literary renaissance and modernization, based on numerous records and documents related to the Jungin collected by author Professor Heo Gyeong-jin while researching *Wihang Literature* (literature of the commoners) during the late Joseon period. The literary group "Songseokwon Sisa," formed by Jungin, led the popular literature of the late Joseon era, while interpreter-poet Hong Se-tae and Kim Myeong-guk, who painted the *Dharma Painting*, were artists who sparked the Korean Wave in Japan. However, the multifaceted talents and extraordinary abilities of the Jungin were not limited to the arts. With open minds, the Jungin also served as cultural messengers introducing new Western civilizations, and as "new intellectuals" who embodied the principles of seeking truth from facts and promoting the welfare of the people through scientific thinking. Even the literati, who had been immersed in the armchair theories of Neo-Confucianism and engaged solely in political strife, began to view the middle class—armed with practical knowledge—as they expanded their social influence. In fact, several kings and literati highly valued the talents and practical thinking of the middle class, keeping them close and associating with them. Representative figures include Yeonam Park Ji-won and Chusa Kim Jeong-hui, who shared deep friendships with the middle class; however, trust in the talents of the middle class could be observed not only among the nobility but also among kings and members of the royal family. A prime example of this is King Jeongjo. Jeongjo appointed intellectuals of illegitimate birth to study new learning alongside them, laying the foundation for a literary renaissance.
Korean title: 조선의 중인들
Korean author: 허경진
Korean publisher: RHK 두앤비컨텐츠
ISBN-13: 9788925555836
Reviews
I will read this carefully and gain a better understanding of the middle class of Joseon.
As I have a keen interest in stories related to our history, particularly regarding the middle class of Joseon, I frequently read history books. I am delighted to see that many history books currently on the market possess professional depth yet are not as difficult or dry as academic papers; instead, they are written at a level that general readers can understand as general knowledge books. I believe that figures like Yi I-hwa and Kim Deok-il have contributed significantly to popularizing
In the social class system of the Joseon Dynasty, the "Jungin" (middle class) were a generation sandwiched between the Yangban and the Cheonmin, and it seems reasonable to view them as having characteristics somewhat distinct from the commoners. In modern terms, they were professionals who played the most significant roles in fields where vocational expertise was paramount. Through TV dramas, we can imagine many members of the Jungin, and we can see that they played a role in advancing the
Following Heo Gyeong-jin’s previous work, *Biographies of Joseon Commoners* (Alma, 2014), *Biographies of Joseon Middle-class People* has been published. The official title is *The Middle-class People of Joseon* (RH Korea, 2015). Upon finishing the book, one cannot help but agree with the message that "it was the middle class, not the literati, who created King Jeongjo's Renaissance." The author introduces a large number of 19th-century Joseon middle-class individuals who were active in fields
