The fettered path to Yangch'on : fact and fabrication in representations of the life and thought of Kwon Kun (1352-1409)

Abstract

This thesis will for the first time in English provide a detailed examination of the life, thought and legacy of Kwon Kun. The importance of this thesis is that it will open up new insights into this fascinating and pivotal historical figure, compared to the partial and idiosyncratic treatment he has received in modern scholarship. The thesis will draw extensively on Kwon's own writings, historical records and the spectrum of secondary studies undertaken up until the present to illustrate the contours of his life, reveal the intricacies of his thought on Confucianism and chart the rise and fall of his legacy. This thesis argues three points concerning Kwon Kun. First, responding to scholastic perceptions of Kwon of being of little significance and the ongoing partial depictions of his life, the thesis argues that Kwon Kun's was an important figure during his time, central to the political, educational, international and intellectual activities of the late Koryo and early Choson. In tracing Kwon's life this chapter will also reveal how integral Confucianism was to informing and shaping Kwon's actions, ideas and politics. Second, the thesis will look at Kwon's understanding of the Confucian canon and show that he saw it as a repository for a spectrum of knowledge ranging from the practical to the metaphysical. This argument will show that Kwon adopted a flexible approach in dealing with the canon, its commentators and commentaries. The important point here is that contrary to representations in modern scholarship, Kwon was not a passive conduit for Neo-Confucian teachings but instead critically interpreted and evaluated key Confucian texts and commentaries, including those of Zhu Xi. Lastly, the thesis will examine the legacy of Kwon and show that his fall from grace was a consequence of domestic developments in Choson and the changing focus of intellectuals from the 15th and 16th century onwards. Charting the fate of Kwon's legacy will help explain why scholars of the early 20th century held Kwon in such poor regard. These three points argued here contribute to the field by directly addressing the partial and prejudiced views of Kwon as a historical figure, showing that he was in his time an important and influential figure. The thesis also reveals that Kwon was far more nuanced in his intellectual activities and that our understanding of him to date has suffered from belligerent disciplinary and historiographical preoccupations.