Covert Progression And Translation: A Study Of Eugene O’neill’s The Hairy Ape

Known as the pioneer and founder of modern American drama,Eugene O’Neill uses a variety of dramatic art forms in his plays to narrate the spiritual world of mankind,explore the true meaning of life,and pursue the power of tragedy.His The Hairy Ape draws on the narrative constructs of classical tragedy to present human’s pursuit for a destination and is highly expressionistic and full of realism.The play has been extensively and profoundly studied by scholars,covering various research perspectives such as dramatic themes,eco-criticism,expressionism,and psychoanalysis.Although the existing studies vary in their critical and interpretive approaches,none of them go beyond the theme of tragedy and are confined to the single plot development of the play.Shen Dan points out that if the constraints of the literary interpretive framework developed since Aristotle are removed,it is possible to find the covert progression behind the overt plot development in many narrative works.The interaction of these two narrative dynamics will shape complex characters and convey a richer thematic meaning.Covert Progression Theory is not only major innovation to existing narrative theory,but also challenges the traditional approach to literary criticism around the plot as well as translation studies.Based on this,this thesis attempts to reinterpret O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape from the perspective of the covert progression,revealing an undercurrent of narrative hidden among the elements of the text and exploring the flaws of Huang Wu’s translation.The plot development of the play shows the tragic theme of “hopeless pursuit”,while the parallel covert progression presents the positive meaning of the constant pursuit for hope in hopelessness.The covert progression runs through the entire play,complementing the development of the plot and embodying the noble spiritual aspirations of O’Neill’s tragedy.Given that this narrative dynamic is not observed,Huang’s translation is barely satisfactory on a discursive and rhetorical level,to the extent that it undermines the expression of the covert progression.This thesis introduces Covert Progression Theory into the study of O’Neill’s plays,which to a certain extent expands the perspective of the study of The Hairy Ape and helps readers to have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of its thematic connotations;besides,the translation of The Hairy Ape is used as an example to illustrate the challenges posed by the covert progression to drama translation,and this study is intended to provide some suggestions for future translation research by the reflection on the issue.