Unraveling the discursive spaces around Fanyi : an investigation into conceptualizations of translation in Modern China, 1890s-1920s
In the existing scholarship on Chinese translation history, the shifting conceptualizations of translation from the 1890s to the 1920s have been presented as a teleological evolution from 'traditional', target-oriented translation norms to 'modern', source-oriented norms. In response to this virtually unchallenged grand narrative, the dissertation presents a more nuanced and complex picture of the changing conceptualizations of translation in China during this period. Using New Historicism to engage with Roland Barthes's theory of intertextuality and GeÌrard Genette's framework of paratextuality, the study builds an integrated theoretical framework for examining how the conceptual relationships between translating, writing, commenting, and editing (among a variety of other textual activities) changed during this period. Adopting Microhistory principles, the dissertation conducts three case studies of marginalized figures - Zhong Junwen (1865-1908), Zhou Shoujuan (1895-1968), and Wu Mi (1894-1978) - from Chinese translation history: by analyzing their translations and/or writings about translation in a range of textual forms such as translation reviews, prefaces, diaries, and pingdian commentaries, the dissertation
Bao, Yumiao
Chinese translation history ; conceptualization of translation ; intertextuality ; New Historicism ; paratext ; microhistory
Unraveling the discursive spaces around Fanyi : an investigation into conceptualizations of translation in Modern China, 1890s-1920s. In the existing scholarship on Chinese translation history, the shifting conceptualizations of translation from the 1890s to the 1920s have been presented as a teleological evolution from 'traditional', target-oriented translation norms to 'modern', source-oriented norms. In response to this virtually unchallenged grand narrative, the dissertation presents a more nuanced and complex picture of the changing conceptualizations of translation in China during this period. Using New Historicism to engage with Roland Barthes's theory of intertextuality and GeÌrard Genette's framework of paratextuality, the study builds an integrated theoretical framework for examining how the conceptual relationships between translating, writing, commenting, and editing (among a variety of other textual activities) changed during this period. Adopting Microhistory principles, the dissertation conducts three case studies of marginalized figures - Zhong Junwen (1865-1908), Zhou Shoujuan (1895-1968), and Wu Mi (1894-1978) - from Chinese translation history: by analyzing their translations and/or writings about translation in a range of textual forms such as translation reviews, prefaces, diaries, and pingdian commentaries, the dissertation
discursive space around investigation conceptualization translation modern china exist_scholarship chinese_translation history shift conceptualization translation present teleological evolution traditional target oriented translation_norm modern source oriented norm response virtually unchallenged grand narrative present nuanced complex picture change conceptualization translation china period using new historicism engage theory intertextuality framework study build integrate theoretical_framework examine conceptual relationship translate write comment edit among variety textual activity change period adopting principle conduct three_case_study marginalize figure chinese_translation history translation and writing translation range textual form translation review preface diary commentary