Intertextuality And Translation

Since its coinage, intertextuality has become one of the hottest terms of literature studies all over the world. As its abundant connotations, intertextuality has been widely adopted into many branches of literature studies and draws enormous attentions from scholars of every field. At the same time, many controversial arguments had been stated for its broad denotations and varied definitions. As a whole new perspective, intertextuality applied in translation does open a fresh window for the translation studies. However, among many research cases, intertextuality has been treated as a mere tool to present a better explanation of translation for a text. Such treatment to intertextuality omits the underlying connections between intertextuality and translation activity. From its very beginning to the later development, this thesis analyzes features of intertextuality which are the foundation of understanding. Comparing the two different Chinese versions of The Da Vinci Code, this paper reveals that a better understanding or translation depends on the degree of fusions among the individual intertextual knowledge base of different subjects.This thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter One briefly introduces the connections between intertextuality and translation activity. It describes the situation that intertextuality is viewed as a tool and states issues that this paper will discuss.Chapter Two dates intertextuality back to its two origins from the broad way: one is the carnival which contains the equal concept from Bakhtin, the other one is the differential feature of language argued by Saussure in modern linguistics. From the two sources and the development of intertextuality by Derrida who coined the term of differance, this chapter also proposes two features of intertextuality: sameness and difference. Intertextuality emphasizes both the samenesses and differences among texts.Chapter Three, by presenting five different definitions of translation, analyzes the relations among subjects and elements involved into translation activity and views intertextuality as a system with knots of texts and lines of differences and samenesses. The creation of a text is the fusion or split of the knots in the system. The originality of a text is a new line generated among knots. A text is the presence of the individual intertextual knowledge base,which is the foundation of understanding and output of a text. This chapter also analyzes inner connections between translation and intertextuality from subjects and process of translation.Chapter Four, a comparative case on two Chinese versions of the Da Vinci Code has been studies to illustrate the different functions of the individual intertextuality knowledge base for different subjects: author, reader and translator that involved in translation activity in their understanding and translating process. The anxiety and creativity of the author originates from the connection between his own IIKB and the intertextual system. The understanding of the reader depends on the fusion between his IIKB and that of the author; while the IIKB of a translator plays the crucial role in translation activity.Chapter five is the conclusion which restates the inner connection between translation and intertextuality and emphasizes the overt-presented role of IIKB in translation activity. Limitations of this paper and future efforts that might work are also stressed.