On "Elegance" In Feng Tang's Chinese Version Of Stray Birds

This study mainly focuses on the issue of “elegance” in Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds.“Elegance” has become the most controversial translation standard since Yan Fu,a famous modern translator,proposed the translation criteria: “faithfulness”,“expressiveness” and “elegance” in the late 19 th century.“Elegance”,as one of the translation standards,or more exactly as one of the evaluation criteria of translation,is a distinctive feature of the Chinese translation theory.“Elegance” is not only reflected in the expression of the translation,but also reflected in the psychological state and rhetorical ability of the translator in the translation activities.Stray Birds is written by Tagore,including about 325 prose poems with no title.Stray Birds is noted for its gracious verses and positive ideology,and the book itself detracts people from chaos and bonds in their life.Since its introduction to China,many literary masters have participated in the translation of Stray Birds,among which the translation versions of Zheng Zhenduo,Bai Kaiyuan and Lu Jinde are more famous and well recognized.In 2015,Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds came into the market.From Feng Tang's point of view,among his own literary achievements,his poems rank the first,essays the second while novels the third.Since it was published,Feng Tang's Chinese version of Stray Birds has aroused heated debates because of its distinctive personal colors.Different arguments all directly point to the issue of “elegance”,which also stirs up great attention from the academic circles.This study is conducted through close reading of the original text,intensive reading of the translation version and parallel comparisons between different versions so as to analyze the issue of “elegance” in Feng Tang's Chinese version of Stray Birds and to discover Feng Tang's particular translation concepts and principles.The study will fully illustrate the style,ideology and aesthetic views in Feng Tang's Chinese version of Stray Birds and find the characteristics of Feng Tang's translation and reveal the contradictions of different perspectives of “elegance” so that we can explore the connotation and essence of “elegance” in details.This thesis first introduces the research background,significance,objectives and the overall research design.Then,it analyzes the status quo of the researches on “elegance” and Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds,and points out the shortcomings of the present research.In the part of the theoretical framework,the definition of “elegance”,the connotative evolution of “elegance”,the dispute between “elegance” and “vulgarity” and the concept of “elegance” as the translation standard are expounded.Based on the translator's unique view of literature and translation,this study elaborates on “elegance” in terms of style,ideology and aesthetics in Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds.What's more,the thesis discusses the dispute on “elegance” in Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds from three aspects: the excessive rhyming,the barefaced and obscene language and the use of buzzwords.Finally,on the basis of a comprehensive analysis,the features and characteristics of Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds are summarized.It is found that Feng Tang's short and concise language,coherent and ingenious rhyme,poetic and artistic conception in his translation version not only meet the standard of “elegance” with respect to style,ideology and aesthetics,but also fully highlight the uniqueness of Feng Tang's translation.Although the erotic words,the excessive rhyming and the use of buzzwords in his translation version are quite different from the standard of “elegance”,these advantages and shortcomings make Feng Tang's translation of Stray Birds a unique and novel one among many versions.The significance of the study: this study is aimed at realizing the positive meaning of Feng Tang' s translation view by analyzing Stray Birds translated by himself.Thus,readers can grasp the quintessence of Feng Tang's translation version of Stray Birds,in which “elegance” can make its full play.Moreover,it also offers a good chance for readers to discuss the “elegance” through this controversial version as well as the conflicts between Feng Tang's translation version and those stereotypical views,which is of great significance for the study of translation and the appreciation of beauty in modern times.