This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of research on the English translation of Lu You’s poetry, utilizing a data sample comprising research papers published in the CNKI Full-text Databa...This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of research on the English translation of Lu You’s poetry, utilizing a data sample comprising research papers published in the CNKI Full-text Database from 2001 to 2022. Employing rigorous longitudinal statistical methods, the study examines the progress achieved over the past two decades. Notably, domestic researchers have displayed considerable interest in the study of Lu You’s English translation works since 2001. The research on the English translation of Lu You’s poetry reveals a diverse range of perspectives, indicating a rich body of scholarship. However, several challenges persist, including insufficient research, limited translation coverage, and a noticeable focus on specific poems such as “Phoenix Hairpin” in the realm of English translation research. Consequently, there is ample room for improvement in the quality of research output on the English translation of Lu You’s poems, as well as its recognition within the academic community. Building on these findings, it is argued that future investigations pertaining to the English translation of Lu You’s poetry should transcend the boundaries of textual analysis and encompass broader theoretical perspectives and research methodologies. By undertaking this shift, scholars will develop a more profound comprehension of Lu You’s poetic works and make substantive contributions to the field of translation studies. Thus, this article aims to bridge the gap between past research endeavors and future possibilities, serving as a guide and inspiration for scholars to embark on a more nuanced and enriching exploration of Lu You’s poetry as well as other Chinese literature classics.展开更多
The extent of Lu Xun's identification with the cause of the revolutionists who worked to bring about the 1911 Revolution has been the subject of debate among scholars ever since the year after his death when his brot...The extent of Lu Xun's identification with the cause of the revolutionists who worked to bring about the 1911 Revolution has been the subject of debate among scholars ever since the year after his death when his brother Zhou Zuoren emphatically denied his membership in the Guangfu Hui. The scholars who think he did join (and actively participate in) that revolutionary organization rely on attributions to Lu Xun by third parties who conversed with him late in his life, but Lu Xun never actually addressed this question in his written or published works and, despite his student-teacher relationship with Zhang Taiyan (and therefore by inference the Tokyo and Zhejiang branches of the Guangfu Hui), no one has ever brought forth archival evidence to support the claim of his membership. Here I will examine the classical-style poetry Lu Xun wrote before and after the event in order to gauge through first-hand evidence his disposition toward the Republican revolution and the historic transition it signaled for China.展开更多
In this paper I will re-contextualize Lu Xun's early thought, as evidenced in his lengthy classical-style essays, which are concerned with issues in literature, philosophy, politics and aesthetics during an era when ...In this paper I will re-contextualize Lu Xun's early thought, as evidenced in his lengthy classical-style essays, which are concerned with issues in literature, philosophy, politics and aesthetics during an era when China was facing profound cultural changes. Part of their significance lies in the way they provide us with an unabashed glimpse at what Lu Xun set out to accomplish, early on, in his new-found literary career. Although they are mainly the product of his final Lehrjahre (years of study) in Japan, the fact that he chose to include the two longest of them in the very first pages of his important 1926 anthology Fen (The grave) indicates that he considered the views expressed therein neither too immature nor too pass- to reprint at the height of his career as a creative writer. In fact, he wrote that one of his reasons for doing so was that a number of the literary figures and issues treated in these essays had, ironically, taken on an increased relevance for China "since the founding of the Republic." The central concern of all the essays turns on questions of cultural crisis and transition. What I propose to do in this paper is to re-examine the essays within the context in which they first appeared, i.e., the expatriate Chinese journal Henan, then published in Tokyo as an unofficial organ of the anti-Manchu Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance).展开更多
The introduction and translation of Sylvia Plath's (1932-63) poetry into Chinese in the 198os had a significant impact on women's poetry in contemporary China, particularly the work of Zhai Yongming (b. 1955) an...The introduction and translation of Sylvia Plath's (1932-63) poetry into Chinese in the 198os had a significant impact on women's poetry in contemporary China, particularly the work of Zhai Yongming (b. 1955) and Lu Yimin (b. 1962). Expanding on Lawrence Venuti's theory of translation and intertextuality, this article explores the relationship between Chinese translations of Plath and the poetry of Zhai and Lu. It examines four sets of Plath translations and the accompanying paratextual commentaries, demonstrating how Plath's Chinese translators inscribe their individual interpretations onto their translations. It shows how these texts are integral in shaping the early poetic output of Zhai and Lu, who further recontextualize Plath through their own poetry, revealing how Plath has been understood, evaluated, and transformed in contemporary China. Ultimately, this process results in a bold new gendered poetics that marks a turning point in Chinese women's writing.展开更多
This article begins by articulating a new perspective on the translation of Chinese poetry, arguing that the most important of the three well-known "difficulties" in the translation of Chinese poetry outlined by Yan...This article begins by articulating a new perspective on the translation of Chinese poetry, arguing that the most important of the three well-known "difficulties" in the translation of Chinese poetry outlined by Yan Fu 严复 (1854-1921)--namely, faithfulness (xin 信), conveyance (da 达), and elegance (ya 雅)--should in fact be the one that is least often discussed, da. The author principally interprets da as "conveying" the mood and then the meaning of the original work into the target language. This position is then illustrated by specific examples from Lu Xun's (1881-1936) emotive and highly allusive classical-style poetry, engaging issues regarding its annotation, exegesis, and translation which have arisen in Chinese literary and scholarly circles. The author suggests that since the deployment of affective images has often been designated as an essential and distinguishing characteristic of Chinese poetry, the translation of Chinese poetry into Western languages must make an effort to engage with the original images--not simply resorting to paraphrases or substitutions--and concludes that poetry in translation can and does have important and lasting effects on the literature of the target language.展开更多
文摘This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state of research on the English translation of Lu You’s poetry, utilizing a data sample comprising research papers published in the CNKI Full-text Database from 2001 to 2022. Employing rigorous longitudinal statistical methods, the study examines the progress achieved over the past two decades. Notably, domestic researchers have displayed considerable interest in the study of Lu You’s English translation works since 2001. The research on the English translation of Lu You’s poetry reveals a diverse range of perspectives, indicating a rich body of scholarship. However, several challenges persist, including insufficient research, limited translation coverage, and a noticeable focus on specific poems such as “Phoenix Hairpin” in the realm of English translation research. Consequently, there is ample room for improvement in the quality of research output on the English translation of Lu You’s poems, as well as its recognition within the academic community. Building on these findings, it is argued that future investigations pertaining to the English translation of Lu You’s poetry should transcend the boundaries of textual analysis and encompass broader theoretical perspectives and research methodologies. By undertaking this shift, scholars will develop a more profound comprehension of Lu You’s poetic works and make substantive contributions to the field of translation studies. Thus, this article aims to bridge the gap between past research endeavors and future possibilities, serving as a guide and inspiration for scholars to embark on a more nuanced and enriching exploration of Lu You’s poetry as well as other Chinese literature classics.
文摘The extent of Lu Xun's identification with the cause of the revolutionists who worked to bring about the 1911 Revolution has been the subject of debate among scholars ever since the year after his death when his brother Zhou Zuoren emphatically denied his membership in the Guangfu Hui. The scholars who think he did join (and actively participate in) that revolutionary organization rely on attributions to Lu Xun by third parties who conversed with him late in his life, but Lu Xun never actually addressed this question in his written or published works and, despite his student-teacher relationship with Zhang Taiyan (and therefore by inference the Tokyo and Zhejiang branches of the Guangfu Hui), no one has ever brought forth archival evidence to support the claim of his membership. Here I will examine the classical-style poetry Lu Xun wrote before and after the event in order to gauge through first-hand evidence his disposition toward the Republican revolution and the historic transition it signaled for China.
文摘In this paper I will re-contextualize Lu Xun's early thought, as evidenced in his lengthy classical-style essays, which are concerned with issues in literature, philosophy, politics and aesthetics during an era when China was facing profound cultural changes. Part of their significance lies in the way they provide us with an unabashed glimpse at what Lu Xun set out to accomplish, early on, in his new-found literary career. Although they are mainly the product of his final Lehrjahre (years of study) in Japan, the fact that he chose to include the two longest of them in the very first pages of his important 1926 anthology Fen (The grave) indicates that he considered the views expressed therein neither too immature nor too pass- to reprint at the height of his career as a creative writer. In fact, he wrote that one of his reasons for doing so was that a number of the literary figures and issues treated in these essays had, ironically, taken on an increased relevance for China "since the founding of the Republic." The central concern of all the essays turns on questions of cultural crisis and transition. What I propose to do in this paper is to re-examine the essays within the context in which they first appeared, i.e., the expatriate Chinese journal Henan, then published in Tokyo as an unofficial organ of the anti-Manchu Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance).
文摘The introduction and translation of Sylvia Plath's (1932-63) poetry into Chinese in the 198os had a significant impact on women's poetry in contemporary China, particularly the work of Zhai Yongming (b. 1955) and Lu Yimin (b. 1962). Expanding on Lawrence Venuti's theory of translation and intertextuality, this article explores the relationship between Chinese translations of Plath and the poetry of Zhai and Lu. It examines four sets of Plath translations and the accompanying paratextual commentaries, demonstrating how Plath's Chinese translators inscribe their individual interpretations onto their translations. It shows how these texts are integral in shaping the early poetic output of Zhai and Lu, who further recontextualize Plath through their own poetry, revealing how Plath has been understood, evaluated, and transformed in contemporary China. Ultimately, this process results in a bold new gendered poetics that marks a turning point in Chinese women's writing.
文摘This article begins by articulating a new perspective on the translation of Chinese poetry, arguing that the most important of the three well-known "difficulties" in the translation of Chinese poetry outlined by Yan Fu 严复 (1854-1921)--namely, faithfulness (xin 信), conveyance (da 达), and elegance (ya 雅)--should in fact be the one that is least often discussed, da. The author principally interprets da as "conveying" the mood and then the meaning of the original work into the target language. This position is then illustrated by specific examples from Lu Xun's (1881-1936) emotive and highly allusive classical-style poetry, engaging issues regarding its annotation, exegesis, and translation which have arisen in Chinese literary and scholarly circles. The author suggests that since the deployment of affective images has often been designated as an essential and distinguishing characteristic of Chinese poetry, the translation of Chinese poetry into Western languages must make an effort to engage with the original images--not simply resorting to paraphrases or substitutions--and concludes that poetry in translation can and does have important and lasting effects on the literature of the target language.