Yi Bingheogak
Yi Bingheogak(1759-1824) (floruit 1809), was a Korean writer.
Life
She was born in 1759(when Yeongjo was in his 35th year of reign) and was born in a family with a tradition of scholars.Her father,Lee chang soo, was a gamsa(監司),who dealt with the administrative affairs of Pyongyang, and her mother was Ryu of Munhwa,aunt of writer Ryu hui who was known for his work 'Muntong(文通)'. Yi married her husband Seo yu bon(徐有本) at the age of 15 in 1773.Seo's family on his maternal side was part of the political faction Soron.It is recorded in Seo's work 'Jwasosaninmunjip(左蘇山人文集)' that Yi's talent in poetry was at a level where the two can exchange Chinese poetry with each other.[1]As life began to get harder for Yi as a result of early retirement of Seo amidst political troubles,Yi cultivated a tea garden to get out of poverty.[1]The work 'Gyuhap chongseo' was written at this era.[1] After Seo died in 1822,she wrote a poem called Jeomyeongsa(絶命詞, a poem that is about the end of life, in this case her husband's) for her husband,did not comb her hair or washed her face and lied in her house, and died in 1824 with the age of 66 after 19 months after Seo's death.[1]
Works
She published the women's encyclopedia Gyuhap chongseo about household tasks in 1809. She was one of very few women to have been published in Joseon-dynasty Korea, alongside the poet Seo Yeongsuhap (1753–1823), and the Confucian philosopher Im Yunjidang.
References
- Pae-yong Y: Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들
