A Study on the Life and Thought of Jo Jae‑do (Inam, 1725 - 1749): A Bibliographical Examination

This essay investigates how Il-um Kim Sang-il searched for the study of Li(禮) in his poetry published in The Posthumous Works of Il-um(一广遺稿). Kim is a descendant of Sagye Kim Jang-saeng, who was one of the great masters of the study of Li(禮學) of the Chosun dynasty. The poet lived a secluded life neighboring Daedun Mountain of South Chungcheong, focusing on writing poetry instead of taking civil examination to be a scholar-official. Since Kim was a descendant from a concubine of Kim Jang-saeng, he had, to some extent, limits to be a true successor of the family tradition. The poet reflected on how he could undertake a task before the trees lowering a shade on the graves of his ancestors. He realized that his task as a descendant was the study of Li(禮) and literature. Therefore, he found real joy in Li(禮) as the practice of Tao(道) and made language his symbol and laurel. For the poet, Li was not confined to the practical rules; instead, the restraint of propriety(約禮) is more important in terms of writing literature. The two pen-names of the poet deliver his literary inclination: one house(一广) and deaf fellow(聾叟). He combined the body and the practice of Neo-confucianism in the former; and he showed his awe to the Heaven in the form of his inability to hear. Human being is supposed to be silent before the presence of the Heaven in his poetry. In this context, he regarded his deafness as a kind of blessing. Il-um Kim Sang-il searched for the study of Li(禮), reflecting on his family tradition. He enlarged the tradition to the horizon of literature and pursued the literature of restraint of propriety.