This study was a part of efforts to trace the life trajectory of Hakgo Kim Yi-man, a figure from the 17th~18th century, and search for its meanings. In an effort to achieve those goals, the investigator focused on his poems and kimun where his viewpoint and psychology of "Dangok" in Jecheon, the field of his life, were reflected. It was found that his thematic consciousness contained such major aspects as self-examination and self-discovery, which were then clearly manifested. In the 17th century, the intellectuals of Joseon felt their limits strongly, suspecting that they could not implement their governing determination actively and fully due to the aftermath of the war, intensification of party strife, and poor political reality. A pattern thus emerged prominently, which involved a distant life from the reality in a local area, leaving the era of crisis and dismal reality behind. Kim Yi-man in the Namin line of Yeongnam was keenly aware of the reality those days, as well, and reflected such a pattern heavily in his literature that represented and reproduced "Dangok" that was his image space. His kimun were his autobiography in their nature to a great degree and reflected his desperate idea of a being alienated from the society resisting it and recovering himself. Specifically, his 「Neungheodaegi」, 「Hakmyeongheonpalgyeong」, 「Yeongmojeongsipjeong」, and 「Sansa」 depicted the geographical status of Dangok that was clean and beautiful as "Byeolyucheonji" and his viewpoint of the place. He concentrated the results of his self-examination in "Nakjol" in 「Nakjoljaegi」 and revealed the truth of the place as a place to realize one's ego in 「Hakgochodanggi」 and 「Hakmyeongheongi」 by constructing and expressing what was essential in his inside externally based on the resulting outcomes. He tried to live like a crane that cried at a deep and remote pond. "Dangok" was a space of self-examination and self-discovery for him to realize that he was different from his surroundings by having himself not recognized and denied in the real world or perceive his being acutely. It was a space of manifestation where he claimed to stand for his own intention that went against or was different from the world.
이 글은 17~18세기 인물 鶴皐 金履萬의 삶의 궤적에 대한 탐색과 의미 찾기 일환으로 작성되었다. 이를 위해 그 현장 제천 ‘단곡(檀谷)’에 대한 시선이 담긴 시와 심리가 노정된 기문(記文)에 주목했다. 그 결과 주제의식의 주요한 국면으로 자기성찰과 자아발견, 그 현현(顯現)을 밝혔다. 17세기 조선의 지식인들은 전쟁의 후유증과 당쟁의 격화, 여의치 못한 정치현실로 인하여 적극적으로 자신의 경세의지를 충분히 실현해 내지 못할 것이라는 한계의식이 강했다. 이러한 위기의 시대, 암울한 현실 속에서 지방으로 내려가 현실과는 일정한 거리를 두는 삶을 구가하는 양상이 두드러졌다. 김이만 역시 영남 남인계 인물로서 당대 현실에 대하여 절감하였고, 심상공간 ‘단곡’을 표상, 재현한 시문에는 이러한 양상들이 짓게 배어있다. 김이만의 기문은 자전적 성격이 강했고, 사회로부터 소외된 존재가 그것에 저항하여 자기를 회복하고자 하는 절실한 생각이 반영되었다. 구체적으로 「능허대기」와 「학명헌팔경」, 「영모정십영」, 「산사」 등에는 ‘별유천지(別有天地)’로서의 청정 수려한 단곡의 지리적 위상과 그에 대한 시선이 나타난다. 「낙졸재기」에는 자기성찰의 결과가 ‘낙졸(樂拙)’로 집약되어 나타나고, 「학고초당기」, 「학명헌기」 등에는 도출된 결과에 입각하여 자기 내면의 본질적인 것을 외적으로 구축하여 표명한 자아현현 공간으로서의 실상이 드러난다. 김이만은 구고(九臯)에서 우는 학처럼 살고자했다. ‘단곡’은 현실세계에서 인정받지 못하고 부정당함으로써 주위와는 다른 자기라는 존재를 각성하는, 혹은 자기라는 존재를 절실하게 의식하는 성찰과 자아발견의 공간이다. 세상과는 배치되는, 혹은 다른 자기의 뜻을 표방한 현현의 공간이다.