On Female Images In Pearl S. Buck’s Translation Of Shui Hu Zhuan

Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (1892-1973) is the only American woman who has been awarded with both Nobel Prize for Literature and Pulitzer Prize in American history. During her lifetime, she has created a considerable number of literary works which bear vivid feminist color. Besides, Pearl S. Buck is also the first westerner to translate the first seventy chapters of Shui Hu Zhuan into English. As soon as her translation was published in America, it was well-received and soon became a best-seller. So in the memorial speech to Pearl made by Richard Nixon, the former American President, she was praised as a human bridge between the civilization of the east and west. In recent years, with the development of Sino-US cultural communication, studies on Pearl’s literary writings have appealed to more and more scholars. But compared with its productiveness, studies on Pearl’s translation still remains to be a large virgin land, especially for the feminism in Pearl’s translation, since up till now, there are seldom any scholars who probe into the female images in her translation. Besides, Pearl is the only female translator among all the four translators of Shui Hu Zhuan, and her translation is also her only translated work in her lifetime, hence studying on her translation is of great significance to explore the interaction relationship between her feminine writing and feminist translation.Therefore, the present thesis probes into the female images in Pearl’s translation of Shui Hu Zhuan by basing on the framework of feminist translation theories. By means of comparative analysis and data-based analysis, it deeply explores the subtle differences in female images among Pearl’s version and two versions of Sideny Shapiro and John&Alex Dent-Young. Meanwhile, it also examines the feminist translation strategies adopted by Pearl, such as supplementing, hijacking and prefacing, in order to create active and rebellious female images in her translation.The thesis consists of five chapters. It begins with an introduction of research background, research purpose, research methodology and layout in chapter one. The second chapter is literature review which is mainly about previous studies on different translated versions of Shui Hu Zhuan and current feminist translation studies at home and abroad. Chapter three is about theoretical framework of the thesis. Beginning with the political purpose of feminist translation, it examines the relationship between gender and translation and gender discrimination against translation in academic sphere. It ends up with feminist translators’contribution to translation, that is, their revaluation on translators’subjectivity and assertion on the equality between source text and target text. Chapter four is about the introduction to three translators:Sidney Shapiro, John&Alex Dent-Young and Pearl. With a focus on Pearl’s family background, her early childhood experiences in China, her literary works and her involvement in women’s movements and social activities, it hopes to exemplify the budding of her feminist awareness. Chapter five detailedly analyzes the female images represented in Pearl’s translation, including direct images of female figures and indirect female images represented in Pearl’s translation of male remarks, male expletives and their appellation towards women. Beginning with a classification of the three types of female figures in the original novel, it makes a contrasted analysis on the different female images in Pearl’s translation, i. e. female figures’brave pursuits of true love, their rebellions against patriarchy and expectations for marriage freedom. And then some examples are cited to illustrate Pearl’s feminist translation strategies, such as supplementing, hijacking, prefacing. In the end of the chapter, it also reveals the feminism embodied in Pearl’s translation, i. e. Pearl’s promotion on female images, her advocacy of female figures’freedom in marriage, her emphasis on respect for female figures and women’s equal rights as men. The last part is the concluding remarks in which a conclusion is drawn on the major perspectives and implications of the present thesis. Meanwhile, it also points out the limitations and remaining problems in current studies and gives an outlook to the future study prospect.