Chinese Literature in the World: Dissemination and Translation Practices (New Frontiers in Translation Studies)

This book features a collection of articles on comparative literature from a translational perspective, with a special reference to translation of contemporary Chinese literature. Issues of translation, dissemination, and reception of translated literature in the context of world literature are the foci of the book. Given its scope, the book appeals particularly to teachers and students of Chinese literature, translation, and Sinology. Acknowledgements Introduction Contents Editors and Contributors The International Dissemination of Chinese Fiction Genres, Translation and the International Dissemination of Chinese Fiction 1 Genre Fiction and Fiction Genres in Contemporary China 2 Genre, Narratology and Translation 3 Case Studies: Yu Hua; Zhang Ailing; Detective Story; Children Literature; Science Fiction and Hanyu Xiaoshuo References Construction and Consumption of Otherness: A (Neo-)Orientalist Study of English Translations of Contemporary Chinese Literature 1 Introduction: (Neo-)Orientalism and the Chinese Otherness in the Anglophone World 2 Constructing the Chinese Otherness Through Literary Translation 3 Exclusion Mechanism: Maintaining the Ideological (Im)Purity of the Orientalist Narrative 4 Concluding Remarks References Discourse Models on Practice and Studies of Outbound Translation of Chinese Literature 1 Introduction 2 Cultural Universalism: Translation as a Tool for Preserving Cultural Confidence Against the Tides from the West (Before 1949) 3 Literary Diplomacy: Translation as a Weapon for Combating Enemy and a Tool for Winning Friends (1949–1979) 4 Reopen the Door to Walk Toward the World: Translation for Both Cultural Internationalism and Nationalism 5 Convergence of Double Discourses: Cultural Diplomacy and Translation for Cultural Confidence to Grow Hard (2000 to the Present) 6 Conclusion References Historiography Via Translation: Chinese New Historical Fiction in the West 1 Receiving Chinese New Historical Fiction (Henceforth NHF): A Complicity of Translator and Critic 2 Transtoriography: Historiography Via Translation 3 Three Histories by Historiography in Translation 4 Translating NHF: A Transtoriography or A Transtoriographic Attempt 5 Results of Complicity: Vicissitudes of Utopia in Translating NHF 6 Conclusion: Transtoriography and Utopias References “Timely Mean” (時中) as a Translation Strategy for the Chinese Canon 1 Introduction 2 The Chinese Notion of Guan (觀) and Its Impact on Chinese Thought 2.1 Figurative Thinking Shaped by Guan and Ancient Chinese Characters 2.2 Guan and the Empirical Relevance of Chinese Characters 2.3 Guan and the Quest for Truth (Qiudao 求道) in Chinese Thought 3 Guan and the Translation Dilemma of the Chinese Canon 4 Guan’s Impact on the Translation of Chinese Texts 5 Conclusion References Chinese Literature in Europe A Decade of Chinese Literature in Italy: Challenges and Prospects 1 Introduction 2 Medium and Small Publishers to the Rescue 3 “Going Out to Meet the World”: Chinese Subsidies to Publishing 4 From Children’s Literature to Science Fiction: Genres and Forms of Growth 5 Challenges and Prospects References Mediated and Marginalised: Translations of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature in Spain (1949–2010) 1 Introduction 2 (In)directness of Translations: A Brief History 3 Recurring Motifs in Paratexts and Book Reviews 3.1 Preference for Documentary Value 3.2 Insistence on Difference 3.3 Politics and Trauma: Censorship, Dissidence and the Cultural Revolution 4 Conclusion References A General Survey of the English Publications of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature on the Basis of Data from Three Euro-American Book Purchasing Platforms (2006–2016) 1 Introduction 2 Sources of Data 3 An Overview of the Publishing Trends of English Translations of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature from 2006 to 2016 4 Geographical Distribution of Translation Output and Publishers 5 Most Prolific Translators 6 Most Translated Literary Genre(s) 7 Best Received Works 8 Conclusion References Case Studies Translating Chinese Literature to Reach an Audience in China: Lin Yijin and Lu Xun’s Stories in English 1 Introduction 2 Biographical Sketch of Lin Yijin 3 The People’s Tribune and English Translation of Modern Chinese Literature 4 Why Did Lin Translate Lu Xun’s Stories? 5 What Influenced Lin’s Selection of Lu Xun’s Stories? 6 The Shape of Lin’s Translations 7 Why Do Lin’s Translations Appear This Way? 8 The Reception of Lin’s Translations 9 Conclusion References Iconicity and Metaphor in the Translation of Poetry into Sign Language: A Case Study of Alai’s The Song of King Gesar 1 Introduction 2 Linguistic Structure and Its Role in Sign Language Poetry and Performance 2.1 Form, Content and Rhetoric of Sign Language Poetry 2.2 A Cognitive Study of Emotional Metaphor in Chinese Sign Language 3 Case Study of Alai’s The Song of King Gesar 3.1 English Translation of Alai’s The Song of King Gesar 3.2 Image Construal and Translation 4 Concluding Remarks References A Study on Translation Strategies of Chronicle of a Blood Merchant from the Perspective of Translation Ethics 1 Introduction 1.1 A Snapshot of Chronicle of a Blood Merchant and the Author 1.2 A Brief Introduction to the Translator and the English Version of the Novel 2 Translation Ethics 3 Translation Strategies in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant 3.1 Ethics of Representation in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant 3.2 Ethics of Service in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant 3.3 Ethics of Communication in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant 3.4 Norm-Based Ethics in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant 3.5 Ethics of Commitment in Chronicle of a Blood Merchant 4 Conclusion References Nüshu in Translation: Challenges of Translating a Unique Chinese Cultural Heritage 1 Introduction 2 A Unique Chinese Cultural Heritage 3 Nüshu Literacy 4 Translating Nüshu 5 Non-fluent, Estranging or Heterogenous Translation Style 6 Concluding Remarks References