• Architectural research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2017

In banquets of royal courts held in the late Joseon Dynasty, a procedure that follows the customs as well as physical components to follow that procedure were necessary. A noticeable trait of the red blinds(朱簾) is that they are seen in the naeyon(內宴) types of banquets, which is mostly centered on the queen dowager and relatives, and they function as a makeshift facility that divide the different banquet spaces according to the hierarchy of the royal family. Furthermore, the red blinds within the court played an important role in the procedure of the banquet along with the incense, as it was drawn upon the queen dowager's appearance to signal the beginning, and folded out again to signal the end. This indicates that they were of higher importance within the banquet space. The red blinds used in the playacting stage of the royal court not only segmented the space, but also upon being taken down, expanded and integrated the banquet hall, thereby maximizing the playacting stage. Once the banquet was finished, the red blinds within the court were once again folded out so as to restore dignity to the space. The red blind is a symbolic item that could open the private space of the court so as to enable communication with the public space, and also close it off to restore privacy. Also, the layout of the banquet space was divided by the red blinds into primary, secondary, and tertiary hierarchal space, according to the status of the royal family and the banquet attendants. In other words, the red blinds played an important role in its the symbolic meaning in the national precedent as well as distinguishing the hierarchy of space within the naeyon banquet in the royal court.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.67-76
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• 2017

Royal banquets under the reign of King Sunjo saw developments in the playacting stage, which exhibited characteristics unique to the transitionary period between Jeongjo and Gojong this period established the framework of the Joseon Dynasty's playacting stage construction. Starting with the Jagyeongjeon-Hall banquet and continuing into the Year of the Golden Rat banquet, the next-day banquet by the Crown Prince demonstrates a renewed format, with the stage also changing accordingly. This change was substantiated by more assertive use of the Red Blind and gabjang. Previously, the Red Blind has been installed in the palace hall and around the royal courtyard, to form three sides, but as next-day banquets became more frequent under Sunjo, the Red Blind developed and came to be installed in accordance with the hierarchy within the royal family. In the Year of the Golden Rat banquet, the Red Blind was lifted and the throne of the crown prince was situated in the palace hall. In the banquet of the following year, however, the Red Blind was let down and the crown prince's throne was placed outside, in palace court yard. This seems to have been a gesture to reorient the crown prince's political standing and restore Sunjo's sovereignty the following year. Hence, the installation of the Red Blind developed in accordance with the royal hierarchy and ranks under Sunjo's reign. The gabjang provided the second layer of protection for the playacting stage. The hongjeongju gabjang surrounded the stage in multiple layers and served as a partition. The gabjang from the Year of the Golden Bull banquet, in particular, boasted a unique installation, where it dangled from both sides of the royal palace's facade. Hongjeongju gabjang, lapis lazuli gabjang, red gabjang, and yellow curtains were installed in the stated order to reflect Sunjo's 40th birthday as well as the 30-year anniversary of his coronation. The Red Blind and gabjang from Sunjo's years were positioned in creative ways to reinstate the royal authority, and demonstrated many improvements from those of Jeongjo's reign.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.29-44
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• 2019

A major performance stage carpenter, Jang Insang led performance stages from the 1719 Sukjong Royal Banquet and was confirmed by historical records to be the first craftsman. Lee Wandeuk led the Hwaseong Fortress performance stages of the Jeongjo period and Gichuk Jinchan performance stages of the Sunjo period. The carpenter techniques he used during the Jeongjo period were succeeded to the Sunjo period. Ahn Sungil was the head craftsman who led the performance stages of Jagyeongjeon Jinjak, Muja Jinjak, and Gichuk Jinchan of the Sujo period, under which the foundation for court palace performances was laid. The progression of major carpenters includes Jang Insang of the Sukjong period, Jeon Yoochu of the Yeongjo period, Ahn Sugil of the Sunjo period, Yoon Seoksin of the Heonjong period, Kim Yoonsik of the Gojong period, Lee Jongyoon, Kim Soongil, Seo Sangmook, and Han Sujoon. In addition, the Major Repair of Injeongjeon Hall (1857) of the Cheoljong period was the most important palace construction project for transferring the carpenters' skills. Through this project, Ahn Sungil of the Sunjo period, Kim Myeonggap, Yoon Seoksin of the Heonjong period, Kwon Deuknyang, and Kim Sungil of the Gojong period were able to interact with each other. That is, this major repair project of Injeongjeon Hall reflected the major carpenters' best techniques through performance stage construction, showing the progression of Ahn Sungil, Yoon Seokshin, and Kim Sungil, who led the constructions of Gichuk Jinchan of the Sunjo period (1829), Mushin Jinchan of the Heonjong period (1848), and Jeonghae Jinchan of the Gojong period (1887), the most impressive performance stages of the late Joseon period. The carpenters of the court performance stages participated in important construction projects of the royal palace, reflecting the superior technical skills of the carpenters in the construction of court palace performance stages. The carpenters who played a leading role in the construction of performance stages were able to interact with one another and transfer their excellent technical skills, providing the driving force that allowed court performance stages to blossom into splendid and high-quality court stages in the late Joseon Dynasty.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2018

The stylobate for expanding the external stage area was the most frequently installed installment out of the installments installed for royal court ceremonies. The stylobate was installed for various ceremonies such as funeral rites, ancestral rites, customary formalities, state examination, feasts for celebrating a honored guest of the court, queen's silkworm cultivating ceremony, heir appointment, the presentation of honorary titles for the king or queen in honor of their merits, and entertainment of foreign dignitaries. The exact period stylobates came to be used for the play stage. The stylobate consists of the 紅座板, 屯太木, 竹欄間, 足木, and the 層橋. Depending on the 足木, the substructure of the stylobate, the stylobate could be divided into the 長足木, 中足木, 短足木, 平足木 type. The detail structure of the stylobate changed in form from the jokmok and duntaemok that appeared until the time of King Seonjo, into the 長屯太木, 短屯太木, and the 短短屯太木 during the time of King Heonjong. With the introduction of the 中足木, materials began to become more segmented and the structure stronger. According to existing records, while the height of the stylobate was not significantly high prior to King Seonjo's reign, the 十四層雲橋 and the 十三層層橋 introduced during the time of Emperor Gojong was designed to reflect his rank in external ceremonies while the eight story step bridge was exhibited in internal ceremonies to reflect the rank of Queen Mother Sinjeong. From here, we can deduce that the fourteen and thirteen story cloud bridges representing the king was of a higher grade than the eight story step bridge which represented the queen mother. Finishing by adding boards to the lower part of the stylobates began to appear in the time of King Seonjo. During King Heonjong's reign, the lower finish became gentrified with a thin board called 修粧板, and yeomupan 廉隅板 for decorating the edges of the stylobates were installed. Such style of finishing the lower part of the stylobate with boards mostly appeared in elaborate feasts 進饌 and celebrations 進宴 within the royal court 內宴. The stylobates appeared to have served not only practical purposes such as expanding the stage area, but also as installments which realize the authority and prestige of the royal crown. They were installed according to the purpose of the ceremony and the rank of the participant. In short, stylobates became established during King Seonjo's reign, became segmented and gentrified during King Heonjong's reign, and began to take height variations during Emperor Gojong's reign to reflect the rank and authority of the king and queen mother. As such, it can be considered another characteristic of Joseon Dynasty architecture.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.237-253
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• 2010

In Christopher Marlowe's Cambridge days in the 1580s, the British forward wits were engaged in the curious pursuit of magic and occult philosophy in order to discover the mystery of things. Magic, together with judiciary astronomy, astrology, mathematics, and logic, was one of the most practical disciplines. Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Jonson demonstrate their deep interest in magic and its language of spell and charms in the light of their analogical application to the alchemical theatre. As Shakespeare says that the poet, the lover, and the madman are of the same because they give forms to airy nothing, a magical illusion is, for the three playwrights, similar to the theatrical illusion in that both magic and theatre work in and by a language and both give us sportive pleasures through the deceptio visus. However, while Jonson is rather puritanically antagonistic to the illusive language of alchemy and magic, Marlowe and Shakespeare are attracted to the rapturous nature of the absolute language of magic. Doctor Faustus' indulgence in magic stands for the Marlovian aspiration for the absolute language which allows no discrepancy between thinking and willing, conceiving and actualizing. His uses of spells, charms, anagrams, and magic books are transformed and translated in the play into an alchemical theatre. Faustus is dependant on and bound by his books of magic, as is the actor on the stage. Faustus is the poet condemned from the beginning. Though he is mistakenly thinking that it is he himself that manipulates Mephostophilis the magical agent, it is otherwise. Faustus is a shadow or an actor in the Elizabethan language. He remains a farcical figure during the twenty-four years which are given to him for his sensual dalliance. Marlowe never forgets through his farcical clowning to satirize such Catholic rituals as exorcism and benediction for their illusive theatricalism. The sports of Faustus' playacting and play-directing rise at the last hour to the height of a tragedy. Ironically Marlowe the playwright succeeds as a tragedian at the point where Faustus fails as a magician.