On August 22, 2024, the Interdisciplinary Program in Comparative Literature and the Contemporary Korean Studies Institute at Seoul National University co-hosted a colloquium titled “The Philosophy of Fiction and Translation.” The event took place in Room 308 of Building 7 and featured presentations by Hannah Kim (University of Arizona) and Spencer Lee-Lenfield (Harvard University).

Hannah Kim’s talk, “Fiction without Mimesis: A Comparative Philosophy of Fiction,” examined how different cultures conceptualize fiction. She contrasted Western traditions that define fiction in opposition to reality (from Plato and Aristotle to modern analytic philosophy) with Chinese understandings of xiaoshuo (小說), which emerged without reliance on mimesis. Drawing on works such as Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber, she argued that fiction should be seen as a context-dependent concept shaped by underlying metaphysical commitments. 

Spencer Lee-Lenfield’s presentation, “Untranslatability, Linguistic Relativity, and Linguistic Essentialism in Korean–English Translation,” explored debates surrounding the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, Emily Apter’s Translation Zone and Dictionary of Untranslatables, and the essentialist readings of Korean terms such as han (한), jeong (정), and uri (우리). He questioned whether claims of cultural uniqueness through language clarify or obscure broader cross-cultural understanding.

This colloquium opened a wide-ranging dialogue between philosophy, literature, and translation studies. By juxtaposing comparative approaches to fiction with ongoing debates over translation and cultural essentialism, the discussion highlighted both the limits of universal definitions and the value of plural, context-sensitive approaches. Together, the talks invited participants to reconsider how fiction and translation shape our understanding of reality, language, and cultural identity.