A Study on the Poetry of Myeong-won: Focusing on Seven-Character Regulated Verse in the Revised Anthology of Korean Poetry

This study focuses on twenty-two seven-character regulated verses (七言 律詩) by Myeongwon contained in Jeungbo Haedong Siseon (增補海東詩選) and compares the poetry of literati women and gisaeng through their structure, characteristics, themes, and content. Chapter 2 examines the structure and features of Myeongwon’s poetry. The seven-character regulated verses of noblewomen—such as Shin Saimdang, Yulgok’s mother; the wife of Seo Yeongsuhab, Hong Seokju’s mother; the wife of Hong Sun-eon; the wife of Vice Minister Choi Il; the wife of Prince Sukcheonryeong; Heo Nanseolheon; and Okbong Yi—served as an important means of demonstrating their cultural refinement and intellectual capacity. These women primarily expressed emotions through descriptions of nature and emphasized familial love and ethical virtues. Having received systematic training in poetry, they possessed a high level of understanding of the regulated verse form and paid close attention to balancing couplets, thereby pursuing formal beauty. By contrast, the poems of gisaeng reflected their literary growth through interactions with male literati. Their works often dealt with themes of love, parting, and the hardships of life, marked by strong emotional and lyrical qualities and a keen awareness of affection and fate. However, few courtesans were selected for composing regulated seven- character verse. Instead, it was evident that they mainly wrote five-character poems, which were better suited for conveying emotional expression. Chapter 3 explores the themes and content of Myeongwon’s regulatedverse. The major themes include: (1) communion between nature and emotion, (2) expressions of separation and longing, (3) reflections of social oppression and solitude, and (4) women’s self-awareness and literary consciousness. In terms of content, the majority of gisaeng’s works were more emotional and direct in expression than those of literati women, revealing their greater familiarity with open emotional expression in Joseon literature. By analyzing twenty-two poems of Myeongwon’s seven-character regulated verse in Jeungbo Haedong Siseon, this study illuminates their formal significance, methods of composition, and thematic realization. It further reveals that while gisaeng and literati women shared similar themes, their creative approaches diverged: gisaeng emphasized emotional expression through diverse subjects, whereas noblewomen focused on formal and structural beauty. This distinction underscores the significance of the study.