From Omission to the Mediation of Conflicts between Chinese and Western Narrative Norms and Poetics: A Case Study of English Translation of Wolf Totem
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63939/ajts.hnptva93Keywords:
Wolf Totem, Omissions, Narrative Norms, Narrative Poetics, Chinese Ethnic Minority LiteratureAbstract
As a work of Chinese ethnic minority literature, Wolf Totem embraces a narrative structure and discourse rich in national and ethnic historical overtones, while also aligning with the narrative conventions of Chinese novels. This study, based on Howard Goldblatt’s English translation, investigates how the translator reshapes the text’s narrative structure and discourse through the strategy of “omission”, and explores the resulted narrative effects. The analysis is situated within the broader context of the differing narrative poetics of Chinese and Western literary traditions. Drawing on the concepts of “grand narrative” and “little narrative” as well as “duration” and “narrative speed”, the study reveals the translator’s motivations and strategies in negotiating the tensions between Chinese and Western narrative norms. Furthermore, it revisits the relationship between modern and postmodern theories in Translation Studies (TS), advocating for a renewed focus on the translator, the translated text, and ideology through the lens of narrative conventions and underlying poetics. In this light, this study seeks to promote cross-cultural understanding and dialogue between source and target language cultures through the practice of translation.
Downloads
References
Baker, M. (2006). Translation and Conflict: A Narrative Account. London: Routledge DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203099919
Bal, M. (2009). Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative (3rd Ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press
Barry, P. (2009). Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory (3rd Ed.). Manchester: Manchester University Press
Chatman, S. (1978). Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press
Chen, L., & Dai, R. (2022). Translator’s narrative intervention in the English translation of Jin Yong’s The Legend of Condor Heroes. Perspectives, 30(6), 1043-1058 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1974062
Cohn, D. (1978). Transparent Minds: Narrative Modes for Presenting Consciousness in Fiction. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691213125
Genette, G. (1983). Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press
Goldblatt, H. (Trans.). (2008). Wolf Totem (Trans. from Chinese Lang Tuteng by Jiang Rong, 2004). New York: The Penguin Press
Hermans, T. (1999). Translation in Systems: Descriptive and Systemic-Oriented Approaches Explained. Manchester, UK: St. Jerome Publishing
Herman, D. (2002). Story Logic: Problems and Possibilities of Narrative. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press
Lemert, C. (1994). Post-structuralism and sociology. In S. Seidman (Ed.), The Postmodern Turn: New Perspectives on Social Theory (pp. 265-281). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511570940.019
Lyotard, J. F. (1984). The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. (G. Bennington & B. Massumi, Trans.). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1772278
Prince, G. (1982). Narratology: The Form and Functioning of Narrative. The Hague: Mouton DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110838626
Prince, G. (1987). A Dictionary of Narratology. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press
Toury, G. (1995). Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.4
Zhao, Y. (2013b). When the Teller is Told About. Chengdu: Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House
Chen, J. R. (2022). Emotional Narratology Perspective on the Emotional Treatment and Emotional Processing and Evaluation in Translation from the Perspective of Affective
Dai, R. Y., & Chen, L. (2019). The Art of Deletion: The Compliance of Anna Holmwood’ s Translation of Legends of the Condor Heroes with Translation Norms. Foreign Languages and Literature, 35(03), 117-123
Feng, X. (2017). Narrative Reconstruction in the English Translation of Wolf Totem by Ge: A Narratological Perspective. Journal of Lüliang University, 7(04), 17-19
Jiang, R. (2004). Wolf Totem (Lang Tuteng). Wuhan: Changjiang Literature & Art Publishing House
Song, M. H. (2018). Three Distinct Historico-Cultural Formations of TS and Their Contentious yet Mutually Supportive Coexistence. Chinese Translators Journal, 39(02), 17-24
Song, M. H. (2020). Postcolonial, Gender, and Deconstructive Approaches to Postmodern Translation Studies. Chinese Translators Journal, 41(02), 16-25
Wang, Y. H. (2013). Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond. Chinese Translators Journal, (03), 5-13
Yang, Z. T. (2021). Reconstruction of Textual Coherence in Translation Seen from Cognitive Narratology. Foreign Languages and Literature, 37(01), 105-112
Zhu, Z. Y. (2007). A Preface to Translation and Norms: Seeking Commonality While Saving Difference. In C. Schäffner (Ed.), Translation and Norms (pp. VII–XIII). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
As an open-access the journal follows the CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International which states that:
- you are free to:
- Share— copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt— remix, transform, and build upon the material.
- Under the following terms:
- Attribution— You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
How to Cite
