시조에 나타난 공동체적 삶의 표상과 특질 = A Study on the Representation and Characteristics of Communal Life in Sijo

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aims to explore the emotional structure of communal life represented in sijo, a uniquely Korean fixed verse form. Beyond the expression of individual emotions, sijo embodies the foundations of communal life—family, state, and nature—while articulating the emotions of solidarity and responsibility. This paper examines how sijo reproduces communal ethics and emotional bonds through poetic language, with focus on the Confucian order and the literati culture of the Joseon dynasty.
Since its formation in the late Goryeo period, sijo has developed throughout the Joseon era, embodying core Confucian virtues such as loyalty (忠), filial piety (孝), righteousness (義), and propriety (禮). These values were articulated as ethical languages that emphasized individual roles and responsibilities within the community, thereby fostering emotional solidarity among its members. Literati sijo transmitted communal norms by thematizing loyalty to one’s ruler, filial duty to one’s parents, and trust among friends. Thus, sijo functioned not merely as a lyrical poem, but also as a cultural device that institutionalized and reproduced communal sentiments.
This study highlights the “emotional structure of solidarity and responsibility”found in sijo. In the Confucian social order, loyalty was represented not as a personal emotion, but as a moral and political duty, often expressed through the extreme gesture of accepting death. Filial piety, likewise, transcended personal affection and grief to become a fundamental ethic that sustained the family as the core communal unit. Even in circumstances of exile or isolation, the loss of community was voiced through loneliness and integrity, reinforcing the collective consciousness of a “shared destiny.” This suggests that sijo was not merely the ideological product of a specific class, but a repository of cultural memory shared by all members of Joseon society. Through the virtues of loyalty, filial piety, and symbiosis with nature, sijo revealed the ethical framework of familial, political, and ecological communities. Today, sijo continues to offer meaningful insights, inviting reflection on responsibility, solidarity, harmony, and coexistence in human life.