2026-08-01

Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng - Wikipedia + book

Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng - Wikipedia

Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng
Date1795–1805
Place of originJoseon
LanguageKorean
AuthorLady Hyegyŏng
Korean name
Hangul
한중록
Hanja
閑中錄
RRHanjungnok
MRHanjungnok

The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng (Korean: 한중록; Hanja: 閑中錄; lit. ''Records Written in Silence'') is an autobiographical manuscript written by Lady Hyegyŏng (1735–1816) detailing her life during the years she lived in Changgyeonggung.[1] It is a collection of four autobiographical pieces written within a ten-year period (1795 to 1805), which depict her life before and after being chosen to marry Crown Prince Sado.

The memoirs famously depict Crown Prince Sado's descent into violent madness that led to his execution by order of his father, King Yeongjo. Although Lady Hyegyŏng's descriptions of her husband's madness and execution are the best known parts of her work, each of the four pieces concentrates on a different aspect of her life and has a different political purpose. Her narratives are a primary historical source for the period. They are also part of a wider body of Joseon female-authored works.

Background

Lady Hyegyŏng was well-educated for a woman of her time, as her natal family, the Pungsan Hong clan, had been scholars and court officials for generations. The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng display her knowledge of the appropriate structure for literary works such as biographies, chronicles, and memorials.[2] This knowledge permitted her to write about a realm of politics generally reserved for men.[2]

Lady Hyegyŏng, as a Confucian wife, was subordinate to her husband and her husband's family. She stated that she could not say any "unjust" word about them without becoming "unable to avoid the most cruel death by the gods of Heaven".[3] She acknowledged this in her fourth memoir, recording that she was "deeply indebted to [King Yeongjo]" and that "her devotion to [Crown Prince Sado] reaches as high as the Heavens".[3]

The memoirs cannot be taken as accurate in every respect. JaHyun Kim Haboush was able to identify an inaccuracy in Lady Hyegyŏng's description of her younger brother's date of birth.[4] According to Haboush, this might have been an attempt to protect her mother from criticism because the actual year her brother was born may suggest he was conceived when Lady Hyegyŏng's mother was in mourning.[4] When a person was in mourning, they were supposed to be sexually abstinent.[4]

Structure

The memoirs include four distinct pieces written in 1795, 1801, 1802, and 1805, respectively. The earliest was the most personal and the following pieces gradually became directed to the public.[5]

The memoirs have been translated into English by JaHyun Kim Haboush.

The Memoir of 1795

Form

Lady Hyegyŏng's first memoir in 1795 was dedicated to her nephew, the heir of her natal family, the Pungsan Hong clan. It was written to defend her father and herself for their actions before and after Crown Prince Sado's execution. It covered her idyllic childhood through to her knowledge of the intrigues of the eighteenth century Joseon court.

Lady Hyegyŏng's memoir is remarkable because of its female authorship and narration style.[2] Typically, family chronicles were written by men rather than women.[2] This departure from tradition may be because the author was well-educated and very uniquely placed.[2]

The narration is that of self-justification. Lady Hyegyŏng wrote to defend her decision not to commit suicide and that of her father not to leave office following Crown Prince Sado's execution.[6] The Memoir of 1795 is in the structure of a family chronicle and is unusual in the conveying of strong emotions.[7] The thematic presentation is that of self-reflection rather than the more usual presentation of a morality tale for future generations.[7] JaHyun Kim Haboush states the view that the first memoir is less advice to her nephew than an emotive defence against the numerous accusations levied and scandals of the time.[6]

Content

According to tradition, Lady Hyegyŏng was invited to the palace as a young child along with other girls whose names were submmited for the royal bridal selection.[8] Lady Hyegyŏng described herself as favored from the outset by King Yeongjo and his first wife, Queen Jeongseong.[8] She portrayed her introduction to life away from her parents as affecting because of the formalities and distancing that were required.[9] She expressed regret that her position encouraged family members to become involved with court politics.

The Memoir of 1795 emphasizes the affection and loyalty that Lady Hyegyŏng and her father had for the royal family. Such affection and loyalty to the king were relied on as justifying their reaction to the execution of Crown Prince Sado. Service to her own son, the future King Jeongjo, was also emphasised as a means of protecting the dynastic line.[10] Of the aftermath of Sado's execution, Lady Hyegyŏng stated, "Like me, [my father's] only thought and concern was to protect the Grand Heir, and so, for the sake of the nation, he controlled his sorrow and did not retire from office."[10]

The Memoir of 1801

Form

The Memoir of 1801 was written in protest of the recent execution of the author's brother based on false charges of converting to Catholicism, as well as the earlier execution of her uncle based on accusations of opposition to King Jeongjo's regency.[11] This memoir was written in the usual form of a memorial, a literary format typically used to express strong negative feelings.[11] As JaHyun Kim Haboush clarifies: "... there is a category [of memorials sent to the throne] reserved for those who felt aggrieved about something concerning themselves or persons close to them such as family members or mentors. Their memorials tended to be narratives in which the authors refuted unfavorable accounts by presenting contrary evidence and displaying appropriate emotion".[12]

The aim of the memorial was to offer a convincing argument to refute court decisions.[13] In this case, Lady Hyegyŏng attributed her brother's execution to factionalism within the Joseon court, not to any Catholicism.[13] This memorial is uncommon in that it addresses a king directly about a personal grievance.[14] While memorials were traditionally used by politicians to ostensibly discuss public affairs, Lady Hyegyŏng, as the then-king's biological grandmother, instead used the memorial form to raise a private issue with King Sunjo.[15]

Content

The Memoir of 1801 also contains exposition regarding Princess Hwawan's court machinations against the Pungsan Hong clan, which, the author claims, turned the king against them.[16] At the height of Princess Hwawan's power, according to Lady Hyegyŏng, her rival had enough influence over Jeongjo to prevent him from becoming intimate with his wife, Queen Hyoui.[17] Furthermore, it is asserted that as Princess Hwawan's adopted son, Jeong Hu-gyeom, became more powerful at court, an alleged decline in the Pungsan Hong clan's influence led others to compose memorials attacking them.[18]

The Memoir of 1802

Form

The Memoir of 1802 narrates the life of King Jeongjo as a young boy grappling with the execution of his father. Lady Hyegyŏng wrote her third memoir after Jeongjo's sudden death. Addressed to her grandson, King Sunjo, the memoir was used to introduce Jeongjo's unfulfilled plan to restore the honor of Sado and the Pungsan Hong clan.[14] Allegedly, Jeongjo intended his own son, upon taking the throne, to give full honors to both Sado and Lady Hyegyŏng.[19]

Although Lady Hyegyŏng chose the form of a biography, it was used as a channel for exploring Jeongjo's character as a filial son dedicated to restoring his family's honor rather than a depiction of him as a political figure.[14] The memoir presses the thwarted plan by implying that Sunjo should show filial piety to Jeongjo by completing what Jeongjo had left unfinished.[20]

Content

The Memoir of 1802 was designed to secure reinstament for Sado and the Pungsan Hong clan. The text focuses on Jeongjo's reaction to Sado's death and his subsequent attempts to restore his name. Lady Hyegyŏng described Jeongjo as "peerless in benevolence", and throughout her memoir she gives various examples of Jeongjo's filial piety. She claimed he "served [her] with all the wealth and splendor available to the throne, yet he did not think it enough" and "still regretted he could not pay respect to his father morning and evening".[21]

Lady Hyegyŏng affirmed that Jeongjo's realization of his maternal grandfather's innocence and regret of his earlier actions proved his intelligence.[22] She also mentioned court rumors suggesting that it was her father's idea to have Sado executed in the rice chest, which she denied as "ridiculous".[22]

The Memoir of 1805

Form

In the Memoir of 1805 Lady Hyegyŏng gave a personal account of her husband, describing his eventual madness and execution. There had been public speculation surrounding Sado's execution or, as it came to be called, "The 1762 Incident". Sado lived to be 27 years old before his execution was ordered by his father, King Yeongjo, because of accusations that included the physical abuse, rape, and murder of palace servants. However, following a memorial sent to Yeongjo by his grandson, Jeongjo, sections of the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat detailing Sado's actions and execution were destroyed.[23] With their erasure, conspiracy theories had surfaced regarding whether or not Crown Prince Sado actually committed crimes worthy of death, as well as speculating who had thought up so gruesome a manner of execution.[23]

Lady Hyegyŏng was the only living family member who had witnessed Sado's execution.[24] She recorded her version of what happened both for the public, and for her royal grandson.[25] This last was explicitly stated.[26] She stated the conspiracy theories surrounding Sado were "false and groundless".[26] She claimed that it would be wrong of her to leave the king uninformed as to his direct ancestors. In such a case, he would have been in "shameful ignorance".[26] She deliberately created the sole surviving primary account that explains Sado's execution.[24]

Lady Hyegyŏng used the memoir to explain why she and her son, Jeongjo, lived on after Sado's execution. Traditionally, when the male head of a household was executed as a criminal, his wife and children were expected to follow him in death.[27] Had Sado been executed as a criminal normally was, his eldest son, the only direct heir to the throne, would have been executed, as would the rest of his family.[27] The suggestion is that the unusual manner of Sado's death was designed to ensure the line of succession remained legitimate.[27] If that were correct, any suicide by Lady Hyegyŏng would have suggested criminality on the part of her husband.[27] Moreover, to ensure that Jeongjo's reputation was not affected by Sado's actions, King Yeongjo declared him to be the adopted son of Sado's long dead half-brother, Crown Prince Hyojang.[27]

Content

Although Lady Hyegyŏng admits to being biased due to her devotion as Sado's wife, she nonetheless describes Sado as intelligent, compassionate, and handsome.[28] Lady Hyegyŏng partly attributed Sado's madness and violence to his failed relationship with his father, King Yeongjo, as opposed to having an innately evil nature.[29] In addition, she condemned the fact that soon after his birth, Sado was sent to live alone in a separate residence.[30] He was raised by eunuchs and palace ladies, which Lady Hyegyŏng described as "unpleasant and peculiar".[31]

While his parents visited often at first, as Sado grew older he saw them less and less.[32] Lady Hyegyŏng noted that the servants attending to Crown Prince Sado had also served King Gyeongjong, the previous king whom Yeongjo had been accused of poisoning.[33] She alleged the servants were so rude to Yeongjo and Concubine Yeong that it discouraged them from visiting.[33] While Lady Hyegyŏng questioned why Yeongjo refused to replace them, Haboush explains that Yeongjo likely feared that by replacing Gyeongjong's servants, he would face rumors questioning his loyalty to his late elder brother.[33] Lady Hyegyŏng also ascribed Sado's abnormalities to her own belief that his residence was cursed.[34] The residence was the location of Queen Seonui's death, and encompassed the former quarters of Concubine Hui, the infamous consort of Yeongjo's father who had been executed for killing Queen Inhyeon using black magic.[34] Lady Hyegyŏng believed that this supernatural influence negatively affected Sado's development.[34]

Although Sado had at first been a good student, his fear of his father prevented him from expressing himself clearly, leading to King Yeongjo continually admonishing him.[35] As Sado did not see his father often and when he did Yeongjo's criticism grew increasingly harsh, Sado began to fear his father more and more. Lady Hyegyŏng described the first time Sado became violent as having taken place after he was criticized by his father in front of a large crowd.[36]

The first person Lady Hyegyŏng saw Sado kill was a eunuch whom he beheaded. Sado brought the head to show his wife and her palace maids.[37] After this, she declared, his behavior escalated. Though she did not give any numbers of how many Sado killed or raped, she noted it was so many that she could not remember.[38] While she claimed Sado didn't treat her in the same way, Lady Hyegyŏng stated he would beat any woman who resisted his sexual overtures and that he "tore their flesh" until they gave in.[38] Despite the intensity of Sado's violence, Lady Hyegyŏng only reported one incident in which he physically harmed her — by throwing a go board at her head, damaging her eye.[39] She wrote that "the situation was so difficult that [she] was in constant danger, to the point of not knowing when [her] life would end".[40] At the height of his violence, bodies and injured people had to be carried from the palace every day. As crown princess, Lady Hyegyŏng's duties included replacing those injured or killed by Sado as well as compensating for the aftermath of his violence.

In one instance, after Sado left the palace without approval, Lady Hyegyŏng, along with some of Sado's attendants, created an elaborate ruse to hide Sado's absence. Thus, the chief eunuch pretended to be Sado and claimed illness, locking himself in Sado's chambers. There he was served by the rest of the attendants as if he were the actual crown prince.[41] Lady Hyegyŏng described Sado's absence as a "welcomed respite".[40]

As Sado grew older, his fear and anger spread to other parts of his life. Although Lady Hyegyŏng was unaware of it, court records of King Yeongjo and Crown Prince Sado's interactions reveal Yeongjo scolding Sado that "the thunder on the previous night was a warning that [Sado] should develop moral virtue".[42] Lady Hyegyŏng described Sado becoming so afraid of thunder that he would lie on the ground until the storm was over.[43] She claimed Sado's fear grew so intense he became too afraid even to look at the character for thunder.[43]

Furthermore, Sado developed a phobia of clothing that required him to burn them as part of a ritual.[44] His obsessions lengthened the time he required to dress.[45] He also used large amounts of clothing, so much so that his stipend as crown prince could not cover the expenses.[44] Lady Hyegyŏng in consequence reported being forced to borrow money from her father as well as having to spend much of her own time making new clothes.[44] Sado's process for getting dressed was sometimes deadly.[44] Lady Hyegyŏng claimed that if servants "made the slightest error" in helping him, "people were hurt, even killed".[44] Even his favorite consort, a woman named Park Bing-ae who had given birth to two of his sons, was beaten to death after Sado became irritated with her while he was trying to get dressed.[44]

King Yeongjo eventually learned of Sado's behavior. Yeongjo confronted his son, but no consequences were ordered because Sado attributed his actions to being "sad that [Yeongjo] does not love [him] and being terrified when [Yeongjo] criticizes [Sado]".[46] Instead the confrontation ended with Yeongjo promising to support his son better.

It was only later, after his biological mother, Concubine Yeong, became aware of Sado's growing madness that he faced punishment. After a rumor spread that Sado had attempted to assassinate his father, Lady Hyegyŏng received a letter from Concubine Yeong in which she apologised preemptively. Shortly afterwards, Sado was executed by being locked in a rice chest where he was left to die.

Significance

The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng is one of the few pre-modern autobiographies written by a woman in East Asia.[6] At the time when Lady Hyegyŏng began her memoirs, female narratives had become more frequent in Korea.[47] Haboush suggests this increase in female narratives is connected to the decrease of yangban women's inheritance rights.[48] On that basis, women wrote in order to document changes in customs and family structures.[47] Korean script (hangul) had been used by women and the lower classes ever since its invention by Sejong the Great in the later half of the 15th century.[47]

Lady Hyegyŏng, from her position at court, provided details that official records did not. She described the private life of the court;[47] her subjects included King Yeongjo, King Jeongjo, Princess Hwawan, Jeong Hu-gyeom, and Hong Guk-yeong, thus making the Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng a primary historical source as to them.

In the very contrast to Lady Hyegyŏng's narratives, royal figures were traditionally portrayed as exalted, moral personages in order to legitimize their reigns.[49]

The memoirs have either inspired or been adapted into other media.

See also

References

  1.  Kendall, David (22 May 2011). "Neglected memoirs and old palaces". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  2.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 11
  3.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 242
  4.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 53
  5.  Yi, Hyangsoon (1998). "Korean Studies Review". Korean Studies Internet Discussion List. Archived from the original on 29 December 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  6.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 4
  7.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 12
  8.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 57
  9.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 59
  10.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 86
  11.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 20
  12.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 13
  13.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 13
  14.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 14
  15.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 14
  16.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 142
  17.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 145
  18.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 149
  19.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 25
  20.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 24
  21.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 200-01
  22.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 207
  23.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 28
  24.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 29
  25.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 29, 242
  26.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 242
  27.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 2
  28.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 242-3
  29.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 30
  30.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 245
  31.  Haboush, Memoirs p. 245-6
  32.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 245
  33.  Haboush, "Heritage" p. 174
  34.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 246
  35.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 250
  36.  Haboush, "Memoirs" pp. 249, 259, 272, 282
  37.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 282
  38.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 283
  39.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 297
  40.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 298
  41.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 303
  42.  Haboush, "Heritage" pp. 173
  43.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 265
  44.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 289
  45.  Heritage, "Memoirs" p. 175
  46.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 287
  47.  Ko pp. 11–12
  48.  Ko p. 11–12
  49.  Haboush, "Memoirs" p. 26
  50.  Drabble, Margaret (3 October 2005). The Red Queen. Mariner Books. ISBN 0-15-603270-8.
==




The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea
by JaHyun Kim Kim Haboush (Author), Dorothy Ko (Author) Format: Paperback
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (156)
4.0 on Goodreads
985 ratings

Lady Hyegyong's memoirs, which recount the chilling murder of her husband by his father, form one of the best known and most popular classics of Korean literature. From 1795 until 1805 Lady Hyegyong composed this masterpiece, depicting a court life Shakespearean in its pathos, drama, and grandeur. Presented in its social, cultural, and historical contexts, this first complete English translation opens a door into a world teeming with conflicting passions, political intrigue, and the daily preoccupations of a deeply intelligent and articulate woman.

JaHyun Kim Haboush's accurate, fluid translation captures the intimate and expressive voice of this consummate storyteller. Reissued nearly twenty years after its initial publication with a new foreword by Dorothy Ko, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong is a unique exploration of Korean selfhood and an extraordinary example of autobiography in the premodern era.
Read less
==
From the Inside Flap
Undoubtedly, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, known as Hanjungnok (Records written in silence), is one of the most important and moving pieces of traditional Korean literature. . . . Haboush must be congratulated for an exemplary annotated translation that preserves the tone and color of the original texts.
Korean Studies

This authoritative edition. . . elucidates the intricate world of Korean courtits morass of age-old strictures, interfamilial rivalries, and just plain ill willthrough which Lady Hyegyong had to navigate, both in her life and writing. . . Part of what makes these memoirs so gripping is the threat of erasure, present from the start.
Voice Literary Supplement

Lady Hyegyong writes of a life that none of us could have lived, yet her words and feelings are the same as those expressed and experienced by women in many time periods and many civilizations. . . . The translation by JaHyun Kim Haboush is fluid, and her wonderfully analytical introduction gives the reader useful background material, as well as insightful interpretation.
New Asian Pacific Review
From the Back Cover
“Undoubtedly, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, known as Hanjungnok (Records written in silence), is one of the most important and moving pieces of traditional Korean literature. . . . Haboush must be congratulated for an exemplary annotated translation that preserves the tone and color of the original texts.”—Korean Studies

“This authoritative edition. . . elucidates the intricate world of Korean court—its morass of age-old strictures, interfamilial rivalries, and just plain ill will—through which Lady Hyegyong had to navigate, both in her life and writing. . . Part of what makes these memoirs so gripping is the threat of erasure, present from the start.”—Voice Literary Supplement

“Lady Hyegyong writes of a life that none of us could have lived, yet her words and feelings are the same as those expressed and experienced by women in many time periods and many civilizations. . . . The translation by JaHyun Kim Haboush is fluid, and her wonderfully analytical introduction gives the reader useful background material, as well as insightful interpretation.”—New Asian Pacific Review
Read more
Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2013

==
From the United States

R. V. Clayton
5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable and exhilarating immersion.
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
I relish the opportunity to thank Dr. Jahyun Kim Haboush for the absolutely astonishing and altogether absorbing experience of being immersed in the Korean Confucian royal household of 1735 - 1805. A world both vanished and obscured by passage of time and by the extraordinarily tumultuous evolution of Korean culture since that time. If you are looking into Korea's history for qualities of character, insight and strength that under pin Korea's modern success, they are clearly evident in Lady Hyegyong and those who surround her. If official Korean History still leaves questions as to the causes of the decline of the 500 year long Yi Dynasty. Then the 90 years of Lady Hyegyong's tragic life, as she lived and chronicled it will shed a shimmering yet still focused and elucidating light.

Many readers will come to this book expecting of Heygyong, something like a Korean parallel with Lady Murasaki Shikibu of 10th century Japan. No two lives could be more different. With grave and stiff Confucian decorum, thirty or so years after the shocking and tragic event of 1762, that defines her life, Heygyong writes four successive accounts. Each account has as it purpose, fulfillment of a duty she sees as hers alone under Confucian filial principles, to set the record of that one event right. In the beginning she can't even bring herself to speak of the event directly. But with each account, Heygyong summons more courage, and we discover in her greater strength of character and insight as well as remarkable fortitude and subtlety of intellect. Until, in the final Memoir, written when she is, as she states, "in my white haired old age", she lays everything bare in excruciating detail and with remarkably lucid, even prescient insight into the turmoil of human psychology. While completely unintentional of course, the attendant and emotional build up of tension is exhilarating.
Some knowledge of Korean History, from at least, the rein of King Sukchong down to the abysmal end of the Yi Dynasty and Japanese annexation in 1912, while not essential, will be very rewarding. An outline of the central event of 1762, the theme of the memoirs, is conveniently provided on the back cover of the book. Of course, readers who love history and love Korea, and delight in uncovering true stories that no fiction can hold a candle to, will as I did, fall in love with lady Heygyong. Many thanks once again to JaHyun Kim Haboush.

Final disclosure: I myself have the great good fortune to have been married to an extraordinary Korean Lady, for the past 47 years.
17 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Menda
5.0 out of 5 stars Sad tale in the Court
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2012
Verified Purchase
Why I bought this book? It all started by a Korean drama about how King Yeongjo putting his own son, the Crown Prince Sado to death, later Prince Sado's son became King Jeongjo, he took it upon himself to prove his father's innocence and later he plotted to kill all those involved in his death. The background in question was a very intriguing historical period that was dramatized for TV. At the end of the drama, I felt something still not completed and I was happy to find "The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong" - at first it was not an easy reading because I am not a Korean and I do not know their history well. Reading the "memoirs", I felt like reading a very elegant ongoing poem, kind of dream like tales of what went on behind the majestic palace, perhaps that was the style of writing for that period of time. This book actually could serve as a good historical and political reading when un-official palace history record was not available. Reader would feel the sadness, the struggle of Lady Hyegyong whose husband was the Crown Prince that had "gone mad", ordered to be put in a rice box to die by his own father. The grand-father, King Yeongjo raised up Prince Sado's son to be the next in line, carefully watching the boy in every detail, totally not trusting the boy until he could prove his worthiness. Lady Hyegyong would have liked to take her own life soon after her husband's death, but to ensure her son would not meet the same fate, Lady Hyegyong endured all the hardship and the political games that went on inside the court to help her son to be the next King. Unfortunately, his son did not live long and died at 48 suddenly; Lady Hyegyong found herself once more needing to help her grandson to be the King. He is known as King Sunjo who would realize and to fulfill his father's dream of a better Joseon.

This is a very good book to read about Joseon history in an easy light manner and at the same time to read about the intriguing Joseon court life. According to history King Jeongjo was a very good King, who shaped the further growth and development of Joseon's popular culture.

Yes, if you like Korean history, drama, detective like stories with real history background, scholarly articulated yet in poem form writing - this is the book.
23 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

inum78
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book both historical and a personal account of events critical in LADY HYEGYONG life and in the Korean history. The translation of the memoirs are not lost. You hear the sincerity and truthful account of person that suffered dearly and strife to protect her family. A word of advice do not purchase "The Red Queen" by Margaret Drabble is totally not accurate. Her accounts of how Korean royalty women were prepare for their grooms is absolute fiction not according to customs. So its best to stick with JaHyun Kim Haboush translation than waist time with absurd fiction.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Angel
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A interesting read, a little bit disappointed in some passagea where narrative would imply something but not elaborate further, but considering this is dealing with sensitive matters then it's not surprising it was omited further details. There was several times where the same paragraph was written in different parts of the book so she had several occurrences of repeating her opinions on a certain matter more then once, sometimes the text didn't differ from the previous time she mentioned it, that was a little ignoring. And I was disappointed in the length and detail of description of the incident. I would still recommend it to anyone of interest of history.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Sharon Emmons
5.0 out of 5 stars I better understood some quite important things about politics
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book exceeded my expectations. I read Lady Hyegyong's memoirs, then the introduction -- and then the memoirs of 1795 and 1805 over again, with what I had learned from the introduction in mind. The translation is such that the tone of its historical period is maintained and yet she feels, as does Prince Sado, completely real and close. Reading about their final conversation was heart-breaking, but I am grateful to her for writing it. By the time I put her book down, I better understood some quite important things about politics, about abuse and mental illness, about the importance of memoirs, and I so much better appreciated the significance, in particular, of women's memoirs. The appendixes, notes, and images were extremely well done and helpful. I looked at them often. (I did have trouble finding the end notes for the introduction, but that's a small complaint over all). At first, I thought this book a bit expensive, but that dissolved as soon as I began reading. This purchase was truly money well spent.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Melanie's Grandma
5.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Tale of Power
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2016
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I finished reading these memoirs days ago and still I'm haunted by the image of Prince Sado in the rice chest and Lady Hyegyong's surreal cry: "Oh why did you go in?" These images encapsulate the mystery of this unnatural relationship between father and son/king and crown prince. If we are to take the view that Lady Hyegyong espouses in her memoirs, and they seem too sincere to doubt, then the king seems to suffer from the same symptoms that characterize Prince Sado's mental illness. The king suffered from the same obsessive compulsive personality as did his son perhaps only to a different degree. He didn't want to hear the words "death" or "return" and also changed clothes before entering certain buildings just like Sado obsessed over his clothes and was afraid of thunder. The only difference was that as king he had the power to kill. The prince seems to innately understand this crucial difference early on and that is why Lady Hyegyong considers his references to his own death premonitions. Instead they were the intelligent realizations of his precarious relationship with a father that would gladly trade a son's life for his own. The constant distaste for a son who would eventually succeed him seems to represent an unnatural wish for his son's death. Almost a trade for immortality in the sick king's mind. These memoirs record a powerful and distorted father and son relationship that evokes images of familial entrapment in something so mundane as a rice chest. It is a chord that continues to resonate through the ages.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Montana
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome glimpse into an unknown place
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2011
Verified Purchase
First off I am no scholar. Second I don't read or speak ancient Chinese or Korean. But this translation beats subtitles hands down. The Lady wrote these memoirs for her descendants. She takes you into her heart, in profound neo- Confucian style. The insight into Prince Sado's madness is totally modern. Her understanding of why the King(Sado's father) punished him in such a horrible way transcends anything Shakespeare or the ancient Greeks could come up with. Her story is easy to get into. .A child engaged to a Crown Prince is delivered, literally, to the Imperial Court to be raised properly and married. The Crown Prince turns out to be a good looking sweetie at first, but in not too many years he becomes murderous. Her line "and then the killings began" is chilling and profoundly startling.We of European Descent have our awful historic Royals and Popes, but as near as I know, no memoirs have come down from any educated upper class lady who was in the thick of chaos, trying to look out for her son and future king, preserve her family's honor, watch and unwillingly survive the executions and exiles of of family members, This is the genuine article. I hope people are not scared off by thinking it is only for academics.

One thing that has always struck me is our need as Americans to really understand and accept the neo-confucian traditions of Korea. Where are these people coming from? we wonder, especially when we ponder the North . This ancient manuscript might help us clean up our preconceptions, especially the artificial judgement that all the North has to do is overthrow its "Stalinist" president and everything will be hunky dory. These attitudes run deep and are very old.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Jean Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs of Lady H
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2013
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this although I have to admit keeping track of the people was hard. I have been watching Korean historical dramas and watched one which was about this very event and the life of the young prince and then king described by his mother in the book. Can't think of the title at the moment. That is the reason I was interested in reading this book. I found it compelling and more detailed in regard to the events around Prince Sado's death.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

goFetch
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but somethings could have been better organized
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2005
Verified Purchase
I think Haboush was trying to adhere to the original piece how the Crown prince wrote it but the sequence of events perhaps could have been ordered better? Because they are divided into 4 sections and each memoir tells the same story in different perspective and you have to go back.

Also some of the Korean names and terms I would have liked to have seen them typed both in Korean as well. It was had to make out what it meant.

It clarified, especially the last memoir (1805) how and why Sado seja was killed. History often sites that It was his father's extreme dislike for that drove to it. He could not have been disposed because there would have been factions that would try to put him back up on the throne.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Emily
3.0 out of 5 stars I won’t buy used next time
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The book was great to read but it was in a awful condition. There was lots of creases and spot stain in a few pages. I know it’s used but for the price I paid for should have been less…
Helpful
Report

Nils Christianson
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome source material!
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2014
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book is a set of memoirs from the Lady Hyegyong who's husband, the crown prince, slowly went crazy and killed a bunch of people before being locked in box by his father.

It's fascinating source material as you can read into her personality and draw conclusions about what life was like for them.

The book is well annotated and the notes help give historical context. This would make an excellent book for a young student of history to make into a term paper.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Beau Norton
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Interesting look at a society very few of us know or understand well. Confucian Korea through a woman's eyes, also telling the story of one of the most insane and vicious royals ever. The fourth memoir is so interesting it makes you curious about the real details and how chilling they would be.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report

M Tilley
4.0 out of 5 stars Discriptive and enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
This was a very good book. I have read it twice now. It is interesting and very descriptive of the times in which it is written.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report

sm0987
5.0 out of 5 stars I would buy from this seller again
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2013
Verified Purchase
I bought the book as a gift for my mother but misread the description. I thought it was in Korean. I contacted the seller right away and there were no issues at all. They refunded my money and accepted the return. I would definitely buy from this seller again.
Helpful
Report

Dixie Aguilar
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice read
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I would have been more pleased if Lady Hyegyong had been able to speak freely in her writing. But she is constricted to her culture and customs. There is a lot of reading between the lines
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report

AbiT
5.0 out of 5 stars I've watched different movies about the king Jeongjo of Joseon ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I've watched different movies about the king Jeongjo of Joseon, but this book provided explicitly detailed information on not only the matters of the inner court but also how power ruled the lives of the royal family.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report

lakota
4.0 out of 5 stars Memoirs of a Korean Lady...
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
Very beautifully written account .
It was a dark time in Korean history. I had seen some Korean drama's and found this adding to the experience of watching those.
There is a lot of very detailed information for history buffs.
Not an easy to read light hearted novel.Juts lots of good history.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report

Terrie L. Coleman
5.0 out of 5 stars Book
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2016
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This was a very concise and to the point book. The facts were different from the TV series.
Helpful
Report

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
An easy and interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Joseon Dynasty era storytelling.
Helpful
Report

Colorado
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very enjoyable read. Had no idea that the kramas weren't really all that far off in their dramatizations.
Helpful
Report
Show 10 more reviews
==
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)