《吟边燕语》:莎剧汉译史中的“影子经典”

Yin Bian Yan Yu:A“Shadow Canon”in the History of the Translation of Shakespeare’s Plays

《吟边燕语》是著名翻译家林纾的代表性译作,也是莎士比亚戏剧在中国最早的相关译本之一,对莎剧的中国化产生了关键作用。但在其出版数十年之后,《吟边燕语》的影响却消退殆尽,逐渐淡出读者和学者的视野,未能确立经典译本的地位。借鉴比较文学理论家达姆罗什“影子经典”的相关概念对《吟边燕语》的经典化进程进行分析发现,众多行动者和历史语境共同参与了其经典地位的建构,但由于翻译场域内规范的变化以及相应优质新译本的出现,《吟边燕语》的经典化进程中断,最终沦为莎剧汉译史中的一部“影子经典”。这给中国文学外译事业带来一定启示。

Yin Bian Yan Yu is a seminal translation by the renowned translator Lin Shu and stands as one of the earliest Chinese translations of Shakespeare’s plays,exerting a pivotal influence on the process of the localization of Shakespeare’s plays in China.However,several decades after its initial publication,the influence of Yin Bian Yan Yu has waned to the point of fading from the purview of both readers and scholars,failing to attain the status of a canonized translation.Employing the relevant concepts about“shadow canon”articulated by comparative literature theorist Damrosch,this study analyzes the process of canonization of Yin Bian Yan Yu,which reveals that a multitude of agents and the historical context collectively contributed to the construction of its canonical status.Nevertheless,due to changes in norms within the translation field and the consequent publication of high-quality new translations,the canonization process of Yin Bian Yan Yu was disrupted,ultimately relegating it to the status of a“shadow canon”within the history of Chinese Shakespearean translation.The case of Yin Bian Yan Yu provides valuable insights for the translation of Chinese literature.