Hawkes' Translation Of Jinling Prophecies: A Perspective Of Reception Theory

Jinling Prophecies, named Jinling Panci in Chinese (hereafter referred to as JLP)include 14 verses all together, describing 15 main female characters. 12 beauties are mentioned in the main register; 1 beauty in the first supplementary register, 2 beauties in the second supplementary register. Jinling Prophecies can be seen as the key to interpreting the whole novel. With rich information and unique artistic effects, the translation of JLP must represents the artistic effects, and makes the target language readers obtain the same aesthetic experience and pleasure as the source language readers can get. Reception Theory emphasizes the recreation of translator, and the role and status of target readers, therefore Reception Theory contributes to be the guideline of studying the translation of JLP. Reception Theory believes the text is a kind of schematic structure full of"blanks","spots of indeterminacy". Readers, according to their"horizons of expectation", fill up the blanks and determine the indeterminate. The process of filling up and determining is called as"concretization". When reading such masterpiece as The Story of the Stone, Chinese readers sometimes need to understand it with the help of explanatory notes. Because of cultural and linguistic differences, English readers must have difficulty understanding it. David Hawkes has exerted much effort into translating it and maximized to represent artistic effect of original work. His translation has received great population among English readers. This text, according to the main concepts and research methods of Reception Theory, analyzes the translated text of The Story of the Stone by David Hawkes, to explore the effective ways of translating JLP, and to what extent JLP can be translatable and accessible to the target readers. It concludes that JLP is translatable in general. At the same time, translator's re-creation is embodied. Because of cultural and linguistic differences, David Hawkes employs various kinds of methods in translating such as amplification, simplification, or adding notes, and so on. Because of untranslatability factors of JLP and differences of two cultures and languages, target readers can only get a fraction of pleasure the source language readers can get.The thesis consists of four chapters besides introduction and conclusion. Introduction shows the necessity, the purpose of study, and the framework of the thesis.Chapter One is a literature review of Reception Theory, comprised of the background, the process of translation from the perspective of reception Theory, and implication of Reception Theory on literature translation. Chapter Two is firstly an introduction to Jingling Prophecies, and then introduces its research situation and the advantages of studying it from the perspective of Reception Theory.Chapter Three is the main part of this thesis, I will firstly have cases study of JLP's translation according to the LüJun's principles which are too broad and general, then, inspired by realization of the text meaning produced in target readers'horizon of expectation's dialogue, communication and fusion with translated text'horizon of expectation, translator's role as a special reader and re-creation from the perspective of Reception Theory, I will analyze the translation of JLP from the following points: effective reservation of blanks for readers'aesthetic appreciation, translator's recreation, flexibility in treatment of cultural elements and linguistic elementsChapter Four is an analysis of the contradiction between JLP's aesthetic effects and target readers'reception. There are translator's understanding as a special reader and re-creation, different cultural backgrounds and linguistic codes.The last part is the conclusion that to best show the artistic features and large amount of information contained in JLP, besides conforming to objectivity of knowledge, consisting with rationality to understanding and validity to interpretation, and the orientation of the original text, translators should try to effectively reserve blanks for readers'aesthetic reception, recreate and flexibly treat the cultural and linguistic elements for receptors'easier access to the translated version.It is hoped that insight into the translation of JLP might be offered.