Translation Activities Of Literature Research Society (Wen Xue Yan Jiu Hui)

Literature Research Society (Wen Xue Yan Jiu Hui) is the first literary and translation society which occupies a vital position in the history of modern Chinese literature (1919-1949) and the history of translated literature in modern China (1898-1949). Based on articles, prefaces, postscripts of the LRS anchors, its major publications as well as other scholars' studies on this society, the thesis aims to reassess its literary and political pursuits, translation activities and contributions to modern Chinese literature so as to reveal possible cultural constraints in a historical and social frame.On the basis of theories from the manipulative school in translation studies and cultural context from literary genealogy, the author of the thesis aims to reveal the manipulative mechanism of cultural constraints in certain cultural context by elaborating the translation activities of the LRS from the perspective of cultural interaction. After the May 4th Movement, different schools of ideologies and poetics coexisted and the outdated literary traditions were overthrown while new traditions were still under construction. On the one hand, the internal need of modern Chinese literature required earnestly new literary norms introduced by the translated literature. On the other hand, intellectuals representing different schools of ideologies and poetics began to introduce humanities through translation under the influence of which they also created literary works at the same time. Literary societies were required to be set up so as to reform the traditional literature and construct new literature. In this cultural context, the Literature Research Society came into being. Due to its stance on "Art for Life's Sake" and realistic approach to literary creation, the LRS systematically translated Russian and French realistic literatures and the literature of the oppressed nations in Eastern Europe. The members of the LRS made their great efforts to publish periodicals, newspapers and book series which provided various literary devices, techniques and thoughts for the...