Influence Of Lin Shu's Translations On The Development Of Literature In The May Fourth Movement Period: A Narratological Perspective

In the Late Qing Period, the"Opium War"forced China to open his gate to the world. Many patriots who witnessed the rapacity of the western countries and the decline of China have made commitment to the action to save the nation. The activity of translating the western classics was nurtured in this deed. From the slogan"To strike the western countries by learning their advantages"to"To commit to the Chinese classic ideology as the core value with the application of western technology", the translation wave in China was surging. Lin Shu is one of the pioneers in this wave. He has translated over 160 works cooperated with his interpreters. The May Fourth period is one of the historic eras that underwent magnificent revolution and progress in China."The Movement of Simple Chinese Writings","The Anti-imperialism and Anti-feudalism"and numerous writers and literary works have accelerated the pace of progress in China. The fruit acquired in the May Fourth Period is the inherence and improvement of the thoughts in Late Qing, and the progress of the literature in this period is greatly influenced by the Late Qing's pioneers. The translation works from western countries have brought the May Fourth Period fresh air and the influence of"Lin Shu's Translation"has become one of the spring to nurture this New Culture Movement."Lin Shu's Translation"has laid its impact on the May Fourth literature in many aspects. For instance, the thoughts of"Anti-imperialism and Anti-feudalism"and"Depicting the people in lower social class"have been reflected in the"Realism"and"The Anti-imperialism and Anti-feudalism"in the May Fourth Period. However, another great contribution of"Lin Shu's Translation"is his maintenance of the narrative skills from the western works translated by him and his understanding and comments on these skills in the prefaces and notes of his translation works. This deed is significant for the writers in the May Fourth period to study and apply in their creation and meaningful for the transmitting and development of narratology in China.This thesis is to reflect the narrative influence on the May Fourth literature from"Lin Shu's Translation"through an comparative analysis of"Lin Shu's Translation"and works from famous writers in the May Fourth Period from an narratological perspective. Chapter One of this thesis introduces the definition and establishment of narratology with the emphasis on Narrative Order and Narrative Perspectives. The application of narratology in translation works is also discussed. Chapter Two discusses the background that Lin Shu lived in, his ideology and the feature of his translation. Chapter Three presents the contribution and influence of Lin's translation on the May Fourth literature and its writers and focuses on a case study of"Lin Shu's Translation"and works from famous writers in May Fourth Period in narratological perspectives to analyze the influence of Lin's translation on the May Fourth literature...