Stylistics In The Evaluation Of Fictional Translations

Stylistics is a discipline mediating between linguistics and literary criticism. Based on linguistic knowledge, stylistic analysis centres on how an author makes use of linguistic choices to produce and enhance thematic and aesthetic effects of literary texts, and thus it can avoid subjective and intuitive interpretation of literary texts. In the translation process, a detailed stylistic analysis of the novel can effectively solve two problems: the translator should base his re-creation of the original firmly on the framework of the source text, and the translator should pay special attention to the form-content interaction because literary significance of a literary text lies in both the content and the form, that is, the content as well as the ways of presenting the content. To be specific, form in fiction not only refers to different levels in the language system, but also covers points of view of the novel and different modes of speech and thought presentation. If a fictional translator carries out a detailed stylistic analysis of the source text in the translation process, he can detect linguistic forms related to the theme of the novel, and delve into their literary significance. In this way, he may be able to achieve stylistic equivalence in the translation, and thus fully and faithfully reproduce the style of the source text. The aim of this thesis is to argue, with Jane Austen's masterpiece Pride and Prejudice and the two Chinese translations as an example, the usefulness and necessity of applying stylistics in the evaluation of fictional translations and introducing stylistics into translation studies. From this thesis, we come to the conclusion that a literary translator should be equipped with adequate stylistic sensitivity and competence.