Course Introduction
- This course explores the problems of contemporary Korean philosophy through the novels of Han Kang. The course centers on Human Acts, while also engaging with We Do Not Part and The White Book. Human Acts is a novel set against the backdrop of the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising, depicting state violence and the individuals caught within it. Through this text, the course seeks to show how philosophy and literature can meet within a single work.
- The course is organized around four themes: translation, narrative, poetic language, and the ethics of reading. The first lecture asks what it means to translate violence. The second analyzes the narrative strategies through which Han Kang gives voice to the dead within the novel. The third addresses the problem of translating not only the meaning of words but also rhythm, silence, and atmosphere. The fourth proposes a mode of reading through the concept of uri ("we"), in which readers and the voices of the novel together construct an ethical space. Building on these inquiries, the course examines whether literary narrative and language can serve as a new possibility for understanding contemporary Korean philosophy.
Learning Objectives