A Study on Manuscript Copies of Danguitongnyak

Since its creation by Lee Geon-chang before 1890, and before its first printed edition by the JoseonGwangmunhoe in 1912, the manuscript copies of Danguitongryak can be broadly classified into three categories. First, there are the family-transmitted manuscripts (Gajeonbon), which originated from Lee Geon-chang’s household. These include the copy owned by Lee Gyeom-joo, Professor Emeritus at Ulsan University, the copy held in the Yonsei University Korean Studies Archive, and the copy preserved at Korea University's Classical Chinese Records Archive (Hanjeoksil). Among these, the manuscript owned by Professor Lee Gyeom-joo is presumed to be the closest to Lee Geon-chang’s original manuscript in terms of content. Second, there are the manuscripts circulated among acquaintances within the same political faction (Soron). These include copies held by the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University and by bibliographer Kim Young-bok. Third, there are manuscripts associated with the 1912 publication efforts of the JoseonGwangmunhoe. This category includes the precious copy (guijungbon) in the Yonsei University Korean Studies Archive, which is believed to have served as the basis for publication. The family-transmitted manuscript housed in Korea University's Classical Chinese Records Archive (Hanjeoksil) also shows signs of editorial work, which suggests it could also be classified under this third category. In summary, a comprehensive analysis of the Danguitongryak manuscripts reveals that the work was not widely read during the late Joseon period. Given the political sensitivities of the text—rooted in the Soron’s Factional discourse—it was almost impossible for such a work to be openly and widely read in a political climate where Noron’s factional doctrine was nationally endorsed and remained unchallenged from the mid-18th century through the late 19th century. Therefore, from its completion by Lee Geon-chang in the late 19th century to its printed publication by the JoseonGwangmunhoe in the early 20th century, Danguitongryak circulated in a highly restricted manner, confined to Lee Geon-chang’s household and a very limited circle of acquaintances within the Soron faction.