A Tentative Study On Lin Yutang's Prose-Poetry Translation From The Perspective Of Aesthetic Modernity

In China, modernity is still an unfinished project, for it has not enough time and opportunity to grow adequately as a result of the twists and turns of social development and some man-made obstacles. Therefore, the pursuit of modernity becomes the mainstream of modern Chinese culture during the 20^th Century. With the context of "cultural turn", cultural studies have also been grafted onto translation studies. Modernity, as a new hot translation research point, integrates translation with culture under the context.The development of modernity is full of contradictions and tension. From the birth of modernity, it appears as a paradox of enlightenment and aesthetics. The contradiction and tension of them constitute a motive force and promote the development of the modernity. However, with the development of modernity, various weaknesses of enlightenment modernity have emerged which have been recognized by some Chinese intellectuals. The material culture restrained the development of people's spiritual culture, the freedom of expressing personality and individualism has been repressed unprecedentedly, people's ordinary life increasingly tends to be stratified and routinized, what's worse, rational and regulated existence turned out to be the general social phenomenon. Under this circumstance, humans became a labor instrument of production for high profit in the pursuit of modernity, which led to social utilitarianism. Lin Yutang is just one of them who are aware of the great influence of aesthetic modernity of Chinese traditional culture in the process of modernity. His translation practice went through the May Fourth Movement of China, "anti-culture" movement of US in the 1950s and 1960s and the impact of modernity. His aesthetic modernity is also one of approaches applied by modern intellectuals to develop self-identification in the modern culture with its special modern value. Lin Yutang ceased to apply his active involvement in the "westernization" campaign, and began to translate Chinese classical works into English for westerners with his aesthetic tendency in order to push Chinese culture into global stage, which gained great popularity in the West. Both his translated works and writings are stamped with the characteristics of aesthetic modernity. Different from his contemporaries, he advocates lifelike translation which expresses the freedom of personality and plays definitely a significant role in the modernization process of Chinese culture as well as the promotion of Chinese culture in the West.First of all, this thesis studies Lin's translation theory and classifies them into three requirements for translators and three translation criteria. Secondly, under the theoretical guidance of the four dimensions of aesthetic modernity: aesthetic redemption, refusing mediocrity, tolerance for ambiguity, aesthetic introspection, we expound his translation theory and his text choice from the four dimensions of aesthetic modernity, and sum up four characteristics of aesthetic modernity about his translation theory and his text choice. Lifelike translation, aesthetic creativity, cultural harmony and his selection of Chinese classics as the source-text are epitome of aesthetic modernity of his translation.Finally, Lin's prose-poetry translation work, Anthology of Su Tungpo's Prose and Poetry, is taken as the case to investigate the aesthetic modernity of his translation from the aesthetic subject. It is found that Lin and Su Tungpo share similar temperament in religious belief, lifestyle, cultural and aesthetic value, which formulates the basis of his lifelike translation. Lifelike, the core of Lin's translation theory, is the embodiment of his Hsingling literary option, which is the main feature of aesthetic modernity. Then Lin's translation theory is integrated with his translation practice to investigate the aesthetic modernity of his translation from the aesthetic object. It is found that lifelike translation, sentence-for-sentence translation, hybridity translation method and adaptation are manifestations of aesthetic modernity in Lin Yutang's prose-poetry translation.