“中国题材”英语小说的文化旅行与变形——以汤亭亭《中国佬》为例

Cultural Travel and Transformation of “Chinese Themed” English Novel:Analyzing Maxine Hong Kingston's China Men

"中国题材"英语小说蕴含着丰富的中国文化表述内容,承载着"中国故事"海外传播中的旅行与变形。以《中国佬》为例,美国华裔作家汤亭亭移植了诸多风俗民情、汉字音形、人物称谓、古典诗歌、文化意象等杂合文本内容。其"写中有译"的文化翻译策略不再迎合美国大众对"模范少数族裔"或"东方人"陈旧描述的设定,而是积极挖掘"中国文化"的智慧源泉、界定文化身份、表达族裔属性诉求,从而在一定程度上弱化了西方社会的文化固化思维,纠正了语言等级偏见,扭转了中国人的负面刻板形象。

"Chinese theme" English novels contain rich expressions of Chinese culture,carrying the travel and transformation of the "Chinese stories" in overseas communication.In China Men,Maxine Hong Kingston has transplanted quite a few miscellaneous texts concerning Chinese customs,the sound and form Chinese characters,appellations,classical poems and cultural images.This cultural translation strategy in writing no longer caters to the American popular description of "model minority" or "the Oriental",but actively excavates the wisdom source of "Chinese culture",defines cultural identity and expresses ethnic appeals.Accordingly,her endeavors have,to some degree,weakened the cultural rigid thinking of the Western society,modified the established language bias and reversed the negative stereotypes of the Chinese people.