A Survey of Major English Versions of Lu Xun’s Short Stories in the 20th Century

Lu Xun(1881-1936)has been acclaimed father of modern Chinese literature.He is the first writer to use the vernacular to write fiction.His stories have laid a solid foundation for the development of modern Chinese fiction.Call to Arms(1923)and Wandering(1926)represent the greatest achievement of Chinese story-writing at that time.His short stories are not only profound in thinking,but also worthy of admiration for their great value and innovation in art.Since the 1920’s,Lu Xun’s stories have been translated into various languages and published throughout the world,enjoying an international reputation.Only their English versions in the 20th century are discussed within this paper.These versions are different with various features,especially in dealing with Chinese traditional culture according to different purposes and towards different English readers.

A Survey of Feautures of Three English Versions of Lu Xun’s Short Stories

Lu Xun(1881-1936)has been acclaimed father of modern Chinese literature.He is the first writer to use the vernacular to write fiction.His stories have laid a solid foundation for the development of modern Chinese fiction.Call to Arms(1923)and Wandering(1926)represent the greatest achievement of Chinese story-writing at that time.Since the 1920’s,Lu Xun’s stories have been translated into various languages and published throughout the world,enjoying an international reputation.The three English versions chosen are different with various features,especially in dealing with Chinese traditional culture according to different purposes and towards different English readers.

Characterization of Intellectuals in Short Stories ofNam Cao （Viemam） and Lu Xun （China）

Nam Cao and Lu Xun are among high-profile writers who gain wide appreciation. The movements of literary assert this over the latter half of recent century in our country. That reality persistently points us to an urgent need for researches on Nam Cao and Lu Xun. Tints of literary worldviews of Nam Cao and Lu Xun, though upon which numberless research works, both domestic and foreign, have provided multi-directional insights and exploration of artistic creativities, remain misevaluated. B ich Thu, the author of Nam Cao, His Life and Legacies, counted out 191 articles and books themed Nam Cao. They were edited by writers of Nam Cao＇s generation namely Nguyen Huy Tuong, Nguyen Dinh Thi, To Hoai and Nguyen Hong, and even distinguished scholars such as Ha Minh Duc, Phong Le and Nguyen Dang Manh, so on. Regarding Lu Xun, there is no denying the fact of his brilliant artistic ideology. Although Vietnamese readers have gained a late knowledge of him for just a half of century, his name is laid somewhere in the heart of our people, integrally and consistently. Vietnam＇s reader generations restlessly learn about and research on Lu Xun. A pioneering merit badge should be rewarded to the renowned literary critic Dang Thai Mai, for his introduction and translation of Lu Xun to Vietnamese readers since 1943. The most interesting coincidence of Nam Cao and Lu Xun is that their profiles are imbued with the characters in their compositions. Mentioning Lu Xun cannot help a reference to AQ, meanwhile the name ofNam Cao apparently recalls a Philistine Chi. AQ as well as Philistine Chi have become characters of the society＇s spiritual life and long live with the eternal brilliance of their two creators. That coincidence draws countless number of researchers. The ＂matching point＂, referring to the subject of farmers and intellectuals, between Nam Cao and Lu Xun＇s works has been explored to some certain extent. This elicitly invites us for deeper studies. The author of this article, in response to such invitation, delves into the subject with respect to characterization of intellectuals in Nam Cao and Lu Xun＇s short stories.

A Glimpse into Lu Xun and Chinese Medicine

The criticism against Chinese medicine by Lu Xun at the early stage is often taken as a sharp weapon to attack Chinese medicine.However,through a horizontal and sequential analysis of the relevant material,it can be seen that Lu has experienced a process of learning,practicing,and objectively assessing Chinese medicine,which is closely related to the social background of the period,personal experience,and changes of thoughts.

Analyzing Lu Xun’s Translation from a Social Perspective

Lu Xun’s translation is discussed in terms of his selecting source texts and some features of his translation in consideration of his purpose and role in society.Many first and secondary sources are searched and used to explore his translation,and the discussion is divided into five parts.

Similarities in Mark Twain and Lu Xun's Writing Styles——The Employment of Sharp Contrast

Both Mark Twain and Lu Xun were the most well-known writers in the world literature. They were famous for biting style of writing and the way of using humor and irony,which won high praise of public. Although they lived in different countries and even different times,they shared certain similarities. This thesis will compare the likeness in their writing styles,especially their employment of sharp contrast. As for language,they were all the leaders in literature. It seemed that their works were just for fun. Actually there was light of thoughts in them that were used to satirize,to disclose,to laugh and eventually to cure people's soul. Therefore,after reading their works,people would laugh with tears and come to examine themselves. Naturally the glorification and organization of translating Mark Twain's works may result in the similarities of writing styles between the two men of letters.

On Lu Xun’s Responsibility Consciousness in Literary Translation

In literary translation,Lu Xun shouldered the mission and responsibility to his motherland,the people,education,language,literature and art.In his opinion,foreign literature and culture would bring “fire and light” to current society,provide Chinese children and youngsters with valuable readings and enhance the development of Chinese literature,language and characters.In his career of literary translation,Lu Xun fulfilled his long-cherished dream of being a “Spiritual Warrior” in China.

A Comparative Study on the Two English Versions of Lu Xun's Stories

The two English versions of Lu Xun's stories, translated by Julia Lovell and the Rangs, are to be studied from the ecotranslatological perspective. A comparative study of the two English versions is made to figure out how the two translators linguistically and culturally make adaptive selections in the process of translation of Lu Xun's stories—In other words, how the eco-environment has greatly influenced the two translators' decisions to make adaptations and choices in linguistic and cultural aspects.The thesis discovers that the eco-environment has greatly influenced the process of translating Lu Xun's stories into English and eco-translatology is feasible to analyze the two translations, that both the Yangs and Lovell have offered successful translations by making adaptive selections and selective transformations. Therefore, neither of the two translations is superior or inferior to one another in different translational eco- environments. Hopefully, the thesis may enrich current researches on the Yang's and Lovell's translations and may be useful for the further study of applying eco-translatology to studies on other translators and their works.

Re-Contextualizing Lu Xun＇s Early Thought and Poetics in the Journal Henan

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）.

Lu Xun＇s Classical-Style Poetry and the 1911 Revolution

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.

Archer Hou Yi According to Julius Zeyer （1841-1901） and Lu Xun （1881-1936）： Changing Perceptions of Ancient Myths in Modern Literature

This article analyzes two literary works by the Czech writer, Julius Zeyer （1841-1901）, and Lu Xun （1881-1936） by elaborating upon two different myths concerning the Archer Hou Yi. These myths were presented by the missionary and Sinologist William Frederick Mayers in The Chinese Reader＇s Manual： A Handbook of Biographical, Historical, Mythological and General Literary References （1874）, and other Chinese sources. Zeyer highlighted the first myth, which was connected with the Emperor Yao and showed Hou Yi shooting arrows at the nine suns appearing together in the heavens, and Lu Xun preferred the second myth, where the Archer Yi rebelled against the Emperor Tai Kang, whom he drove from the Capital, and later was killed by Han Zhuo. The myth of Chang E who flew to the moon is described only by Lu Xun.

The Masquerade of Male Masochists： Two Tales of Translation of the Zhou Brothers （Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren） in the 1910s

Through reading two creatively translated stories by the Zhou brothers, Lu Xun＇s （Zhou Shuren） ＂The Soul of Sparta＂ （Sibada zhi hun, 1903） and Zhou Zuoren＇s ＂The Chivalrous Slave Girl＂ （Xia niinu, 1904）, this paper takes a close look at the intellectual trend in the first decade of the twentieth-century China of constructing strong and heroic women as the emblem of national power while rendering men as powerless. By focusing on a foreign heroine with traditional Chinese virtues, both translations creatively Sinicized and feminized the foreign power in the original tales. At the same time, male characters, prospective readers of the stories, and even authors themselves were marginalized, diminished, and ridiculed vis-a-vis the newly constructed feminine authority. Comparing this form of cultural masochism to other literary masochisms in modem China analyzed by Rey Chow and Jing Tsu respectively, this paper endeavors to excavate a hybrid model of nationalist agency grounded in the intertwined relationship of race, gender and nation. In my analysis, Gilles Deleuze＇s discussion on masochism is utilized as a heuristic tool to shed light on the revolutionary potential embedded in the ＂strong women, weak men＂ complex in the 1910s. I argue that the cultural masochism in late Qing represents one of the earliest attempts of the Chinese intellectuals to creatively use Chinese traditional gender cosmology to absorb the threat of Western imperialism and put forward a hybrid model of nationalist agency.

Three Paradigms in Lu Xun Research and Contemporary Value Options

Research on Lu Xun is never simply the analysis of an individual writer, but constitutes an understanding of the cultural attributes represented by Lu Xun himself and his writings. Likewise, the evaluation of research on Lu Xun is never a simple evaluation of academic history, but rather a social evaluation associated with the value orientations of those times. At present, with the return of academic logic and the growing tendency toward private research, a noteworthy divergence of standpoints and evaluations of Lu Xun research has emerged. At the same time, as a prominent discipline that has been over-interpreted, research on Lu Xun is demonstrating a tendency toward redundancy and triviality. Three fundamental paradigms are commonly employed in research on Lu Xun： historical research that attempts to explore historical materials; academic research that focuses on knowledge interpretation and aesthetic evaluation; and contemporary research that pursues the contemporary meaning and values of Lu Xun＇s ideas. Each paradigm offers an insight into and understanding of Lu Xun＇s rich and complex spiritual world; each presents a paradox of one kind or the other; and each performs different value functions.

The Animal Kingdom in the Legacy of Modern Chinese Literature： Lu Xun＇s Writings on Animals and Bio-Politics in the Republican Era

Lu Xnn situated himself at the crossroads of agricultural tradition and modernist inception during the tumultuous Republican period. As a result, fraught with his affection towards his origins and aiming to register his modernist sensibilities, he widely scattered various animals throughout his fiction and essays. However, more scholarly attention should be paid to the theoretical interpretations of these nonhuman historical and affective agencies and they deserve to be regarded as unique references to the social and political representations of the Republican era. This paper analyzes how Lu Xun represents animal images and discusses the relationship between animality and humanity in his writings. Employing eco-criticism and Foucauldian bio-politics, I argue that the animalistic reading of ＂A Madman＇s Diary＂ contrasts with the conventional cannibalistic reading and marks a revolutionary beginning to Lu Xun＇s concern towards animality and humanity. Later echoing with the social Darwinism popular at the time, Lu Xun invests more nuanced affects in three different categories of animals through which he contemplates domestication, vulnerability, and self-definition. Finally, I argue that by inventing a discourse of animality and humanity, Lu Xun casts his pioneering gaze on Chinese morality, modern subjectivity, and the natural environment.

Lu Xun in the Rhetoric of the Sino-Soviet Split： A View from Contemporary Russia

The historical role of the prominent Chinese writer, social activist and thinker Lu Xun （1881-1936）, is difficult to overestimate. His works influenced social change within China and became recognized internationally. For these and other reasons, he was of particular interest in the Soviet Union. Since 1932, his works have been published in numerous editions in Russian and have received a great deal of scholarly attention in the Soviet Union. Such unprecedented attention was initially based on the idea that he held similar revolutionary sentiments to those prevailing in the Soviet Union. Later, from the second half of the 1960s to the early 1970s, the ideological disagreements between the Soviet Union and China influenced the direction of Lu Xun studies in the Soviet Union. Soviet leader Khrushchev called for peaceful coexistence with the capitalist West, while Mao Zedong stressed the universal character of the proletarian revolution. Lu Xun was highly respected in both the USSR and China, and thus became an influential tool in this polemic. But, for Soviet scholars, this renewed focus on Lu Xun offered an opportunity to provide a new perspective on the writer＇s works. This paper analyzes how the Sino-Soviet split influenced Russian academics＇ positions on Lu Xun. The focus is on the three main points of contention in the ideological disagreements between the PRC and the USSR. First, Soviet critics focused on the psychological aspects and individualism in the Lu Xun＇s works. Second, a special focus on humanistic elements in the writer＇s ideas can be seen as a result of the Soviet disagreement with the Cultural Revolution＇s period. Third, by pointing to the internationalist aspects of Lu Xun＇s writings, Soviet scholars attempted to expose the Sinocentric political attitudes of the ruling circles in China.

＂The Becoming Self-Conscious of Zawen＂： Literary Modernity and Politics of Language in Lu Xun＇s Essay Production during His Transitional Period

While Lu Xun＇s early works of fiction have long established his literary reputation, this article focuses on the form and content of his zawen essays written several years later, from 1925 to 1927. Examining the zawen from Huagai ji, Huagai ji xubian （sequel）, and Eryi ji （Nothing more）, the author views these as ＂transitional＂ essays which demonstrate an emergent self-consciousness in Lu Xun＇s writing. Through close reading of a selection of these essays, the author considers the ways in which they point toward a state of crisis for Lu Xun, as well as a means of tackling his sense of passivity and ＂petty matters.＂ This crisis-state ultimately yields a new literary form unique to the era, a form which represents a crucial source of Chinese modernity. From sheer impossibility and a ＂negating spirit＂ emerges a new and life-affirming possibility of literary experience.

Translating Lu Xun＇s MSra： Determining the ＂Source＂ Text, the ＂Spirit＂ versus ＂Letter＂ Dilemma and Other Philosophical Conundrums

Not long after he withdrew from medical studies at Sendai and returned to Tokyo in 1906, Lu Xun began research on the history and philosophy of science, modern European thought, and comparative literature which produced five treatises he eventually published in an archaistic classical prose style influenced by that of Zhang Taiyan. Central to, and the longest among these essays is Moluo shi li shuo （On the power of Mara Poetry）, which focuses on literature East and West and, in particular, the Byronic poets and their international legacy. In translating, annotating, and analyzing this essay, one meets with a number of quotations and terms derived originally from Western sources, sometimes through a secondary Japanese, German, or English translation. This article will focus on issues that arise in the translation and interpretation of that essay, in particular on the question of determining the source text, what bearing that has or should have on scholarly translation and how the study of textual issues can shed light not only on texts but also on literary and intellectual history. It offers an analysis of Lu Xun＇s own interpretation of the source texts as well as conclusions reflecting on the significance of his literary career and broader mission.

Zoology, Celibacy, and the Heterosexual Imperative： Notes on Teaching Lu Xun＇s ＂Loner＂ as a Queer Text

This essay reflects on the reception of Lu Xun＇s short story ＂The Loner＂ （Gudu zhe, alternately translated as ＂The Lone Wolf, The Misanthrope,＂ and ＂The Isolate＂） in American classrooms, where students have sometimes wondered whether that character might be read as ＂queer.＂ It suggests that the title character＇s unusual and self-imposed celibacy is probably best explained by his belief, in a very general sense, in the foundational values of zoology as practiced in Japan and China in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and thus that the story may be a better gateway to understanding the ways in which Lu Xun envisioned the mixed impact of new political economies on private life than a source text for queer studies. At the same time, however, this essay emphasizes that in ＂The Loner,＂ as elsewhere, accounting for the ＂heterosexual imperative＂ of early zoology （e.g., with its emphases on animal husbandry, propagation, reproduction） can have meaningful consequences for ＂queering＂ interpretations of received texts from literature, history of science, and beyond.