<시민 독본>(1894년경): 19세기 말 조선의 대영제국 원서

Abstract

For a long time, it has been generally believed that British literature has been introduced to Korea in the form of a translation and Tyurnroleokdyeong (The Pilgrim’s Progress) in 1895 and ‘Saygusbeea (Shakespeare)’ in 1906 are believed to be the two earliest examples of British literature in Korea. However, this study finds out that there existed at least one English book that was read by an important figure in the Joseon Dynasty and that contains British literature quotes. This interdisciplinary study of the reception history of British literature in Korea analyzes this school textbook of The Citizen Reader (c. 1894) and shows us that literary works while living in the forms of head notes, mottoes, and examples not only function as authorities in binding the expanding empire into a cultural community but also reveal the limitation of the imperial discourse which projects the idea of patriotic citizenship via fiction.