严译《原富》赞助人研究

A Study on the Patrons of Yan Fu’s Translation of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

根据勒菲弗尔的观点,《原富》文本镶嵌在晚清社会文化语境中,与其译者严复,赞助人南洋公学译书院、张元济、吴汝纶,批评家梁启超共同构成了一个系统。本文力图从共时的角度出发,以改写理论为依据,分析赞助人对意识形态、经济和地位因素的分配,以及批评家的间接赞助,对他们在系统中的互动做进一步考察。赞助促进了《原富》在系统中的传播与接受,但该书作为以桐城派古文风格写就的高尚文学,其读者群体局限于士大夫和知识分子,因此在当代语境下面临着非经典化的命运。

In light of Lefevere’s theory,the Chinese translation of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations could be seen as embedded in the context of the late Qing society.Its text,together with its translator,Yan Fu,its patrons,including the Translation Institute of Nanyang Public School,Zhang Yuanji and Wu Rulun,and the critic,Liang Qichao,formed a system.However,most previous studies on the translation and publication of this book examined the patronage of different individuals and institutions separately.Therefore,this essay attempts to take a further investigation into their interactions as within a system.From a synchronic perspective and referring to rewriting theory,it will analyze how the patrons dealt with ideological,economic and status factors,and analyze the critic’s indirect patronage.Their patronage promoted the dissemination and acceptance of the book.Yet,as a work of high literature written in the style of Tongcheng School,its audience was restricted to scholar-bureaucrats and intellectuals.It is inevitable to be non-canonized in the contemporary context.