Cultural Studies On Robert Van Gulik And His Judge Dee Msteries

Robert van Gulik was a Dutch diplomat and Sinophile. He found and translated a Chinese Novel: the Dee Goong An(Wu Zetian Si Da Qi An), which is later published as Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. After that, he decided to try writing his own stories in the same style, drawing plots from the full body of Chinese detective fiction, and holding Judge Dee to a stricter, more rational approach to detection. His Judge Dee Mysteries proved to be not only a commercial success but also a cultural one. Both common western readers and many western scholars became interested in Chinese culture because of his fascinating depiction in the series. In this sense, Robert van Gulik has made great contribution in spreading Chinese ancient culture. Years later, his Judge Dee series were translated into Chinese and received the same welcome among Chinese readers. It is justified to infer that the success of his books lies in his understanding of the essence in both Chinese and western cultures and his consideration of readers with different cultural background. From his effective measures and regretful lessons in cultural activities we may find some enlightenment on cultural perseverance and cultural transmission in the background of globalization.The present study is divided into three parts according to a temporal order: 1. Gulik's translation of Dee Gooog An, as the starting point of his sinological research and literary writing; 2. writing of Judge Dee Mysteries and its popularity in western countries; 3. Chinese Translation of Judge Dee Mysteries and its popularity. in China.The first and second chapters of this dissertation introduce Robert van Gulik and his Sinological achievements, justify the present study by highlighting the significance of analyzing the successful measures taken by Gulik in his efforts of cultural diffusion.The third and seventh chapters respectively analyze and evaluate the translating strategies applied by Robert van Gulik and two Chinese translators of his works. The present research argues that, compared with the excessive and indulgent exertion of two Chinese translators, the prudential attitude of Gulik is more constructive to cultural translation.The forth, fifth and sixth chapters concentrate on the discourse analysis of Judge Dee Mysteries so as to find out how Robert van Gulik managed to inosculate Chinese background of the characters and settings in his story with his own western thought and cultural background, how he managed to take into consideration the expectations of both Chinese readers and western readers, whether he had achieved his goal or created more misunderstandings etc.From the analysis, we find Robert van Gulik had taken great efforts to find a balance point when struggling with different cultural thoughts and ideologies. Some measures taken by him proved to be quite effective and worth more attention. However, it is admitted that Robert van Gulik also had his own puzzle and hesitation when it came to certain typical folk-custom in China. Moreover, due to his devotion to Chinese ancient culture, sometimes in his stories, he overglorified Chinese ancient people and culture, which might create another misleading image of China in contrast to the previous demonized East. In the conclusion part, the dissertation sums up the present problems we have in spreading Chinese culture, and points out the effective measures applied by Robert van Gulik may shed some light on today's efforts in cross culture communication.