Women’s Literacy and Literature in Korean ‘Cheongi’(傳奇) Novel

The male and female main characters of the Korean Cheongi novel are depicted as people with excellent ability of classical literature and composing poems, as they reveal their emotions and identity through literature and further form a mental bond with their lovers. However, considering the reality of women in Joseon Dynasty who lacked opportunities to be educated and trained for writing compared to men, these characters can be said to be somewhat unrealistic. In Cheongi novel, female characters and their surrounding environments are elaborately set so that women can have literacy and literary capabilities to secure novel probability. The status of heroins can be largely divided into noble class and middle and lower class. They were daughters of wealthy prestigious families, court ladies or Kisaeng(妓生) and all belonged to a small group of women who could access to literary arts in Joseon Dynasty. The experience and situation of female characters described in the novel also help the reader’s understanding of their literacy and literature. In the late Joseon Dynasty, the narrative role of literary works in Cheongi novel gradually weakens and the status of female characters are confined to middle and lower classes. Literacy and literature of female characters develop in a way that reflects the language environment based on classes, beyond the traditional custom of the genre.