The concept of transmesis refers to the depiction of translation and translators within fictional texts. The term's metaphorical conjunction of mimesis with translation suggests both the mimetic treatment of items in the black box, id est of those aspects of translation that translations as 'finished' products conceal, and also the question of how to represent language and multilingual realities in literature. Thomas O. Beebee examines and compares examples of transmesis across a wide variety of languages, cultures, and historical periods.