Abstract
In the early 20th century, Kroean publishing houses that pioneered the distribution of newly edited Chinese classical novels actively utilized Chinese images to reflect readers’ tastes, even showcasing images that were neither popular nor taboo in the Joseon Dynasty. On the covers of Ttakji-bon novel, such as “Gwkbunyang Silqi(The Story of Gwakbunyang),” a Chinese novel, the Chinese-style iconography of a husband and wife sitting together enjoying a banquet was consistently featured from the first edition in 1913 until the 1950s. This imagery, which was not seen in the Confucian society of the Joseon Dynasty, highlights the public’s interest and changes regarding the new status of men and women within the East Asian family structure during the transition to a modern society. Moreover, the book-cover of “Gwakbunyang Silgi” illustrates the distribution of the Chinese iconography of the husband and wife sitting together, which was very popular in Qing Dynasty as a form of New Year’s Poster(Nianhua). This paper examines the visual representation and distribution of the classical story of Gwabunyang in the publishing culture of the early 20th century, focusing on the cover images of the Ttakji-bon, Gwakbunyang Silgi.
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