Translation And Dissemination Of Modern Chinese Novels In The US Since1980s

Chinese literature is just a marginal existence in American readership market,which arouses widely concerns among Chinese intellectuals. Although the situationcan be easily attributed to the pride or arrogance prevailing in American readers due tothe leadership of the US in politics, economy and cultural industry, the characteristicsof American readership is worth our while studying, as China is ambitious anddetermined to push Chinese culture/literature to the center of the world. Unfortunately,there are still no insightful studies of American readership market, nor systematicstudies on the translation and reception of modern Chinese novels in the US. Thesegaps are aimed to fill in this dissertation.Chapter1focuses on the cultural soils for the dissemination of Chinese novels inthe US. While sorting out the history of the reception of Chinese literature, the authortakes the critics on Chinese literature since1980s as raw materials from prestigiousnewspapers like New York Times and Washington Post, to extract American readers’perception of and attitude toward Chinese literary works and writers. According to thecomments about works and writers, especially the bestsellers as well as the novelsdiscussed in New York Times Book Review, we can also have a rough idea on theexisting knowledge and impression that American readers possibly have on Chineseliterature. To have a better idea of American readership market, a demographic surveyof readers’ interest in literary works based on the report by National Endowment forArts and the readers’ preference of literary genes based on Harris report are briefed.Besides, one of the important reasons for the marginal existence of Chinese literaturein America is addressed that American readers and publishers are indifferent totranslated works.Chapter2elaborates on the objective relationships involved in the disseminationof modern Chinese literature in American literary field based on Pierre Bourdieu’stheory of field and capital. As the “manufacturers” in literary production,governmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutes, translators,American publishers are summarized in terms of their achievements and limitations. Inaddition, sinologists’ roles in the introduction of Chinese modern novels are assessedregarding translation of literary works, edition of literary history and anthology, as well as other academic studies. Furthermore, the teaching of Chinese literature inAmerican university in respect of syllabus and textbook and class design, isintroduced.Chapter3explores the factors that hinder the dissemination of modern Chineseliterature, including culture, ideology, poetics, readers’ psychology, etc. As the realityshows, the reception of a translation in a foreign country is decided more by the socialreality and cultural environment of the target country than by the original andtranslated texts. Through the reception of the bestsellers Life and Death in Shanghaiand Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, various factors contributed to the successof these books are examined, including not only political, religious and poetic factorsbut also readers’ psychology and recommendations from publishers, mainstream media,literary and academic field. In order to bridge the differences between Chinese andWestern poetics and to meet the expectation of readability from publishers and generalreaders, rewriting during translation is argued both in the light of practice andtranslation theory such as German functional translation theories, cultural approach totranslation, and multi-system theory. What’s more, the principles and extent ofrewriting are also discussed.On the basis of the findings in the previous chapters, Chapter4tries to answer thefollowing questions: in the era of globalization and consumerism, how can Chineseliterature be listed world literature and how to promote the international influence ofChinese literature? According to David Damrosch, a professor of Harvard University,world literature, a concept derives from Goethe, contains not only classic novels butnovels with worldwide readers, which specifies the two main features of worldliterature: universality and readability. Starting from this proposition, morecharacteristics of world novels, such as national elements, international horizon of theauthors and reader-oriented translation are discussed. It is believed that only bychanging the mindset that literature is a vehicle ridden with political purposes andnational image, by respecting the differences of target readership in individual country,and by embracing creation in cultural production, can Chinese literature goes globalwith a brand-new image.