Russian orientalism vs. Korean positivism: reflections on the translation of biographies (Yŏlchŏn) from the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Sagi) into English

Abstract

   The recent (2018–2020) appearance of a voluminous (though incomplete) corpus of annotated translations of the biographical section of the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk sagi) — the oldest surviving Korean chronicle — into English warrants us to compare it with the Russian translation undertaken in 2000–2002. A comparative analysis will allow us to highlight the characteristic features of both styles, identify discrepancies in the representation of historical realities of the Three Kingdoms period and the nuances of interpretation of basic concepts and principles of historical philosophy. First, we will take on the primary aspects of world-building (including principles of state management, combination of Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist spiritual substrata in the general philosophy of the text, features of allocation of certain virtues to the heroes of historical narration), as well as manifestations of supernatural forces and phenomena. We will conclude by offering arguments both for and against the idea put in its title.