A Comparative Study Of Two English Versions Of The Analects Of Confucius From The Perspective Of Polysystem Theory

Covering a wide scope of subjects from politics, philosophy, literature and art to education and moral cultivation, The Analects of Confucius is described as the communication between Confucius and his disciples. As one of the most influential books in the world history, there are many translation versions all over the world. This thesis aims to analyze the two translation versions of The Analects of Confucius through Polysystem Theory.Firstly, the selection of source texts is determined by the receiving culture according to the Polysystem Theory. In this case, this thesis would analyze James Legge's selection of source texts from various aspects such as the necessity of communication between Christianity and Confucianism, economic and political needs of Britain, the influence of British philosophy and cultural tradition. In comparison, the thesis would analyze Arthur Waley's selection of source texts from various aspects such as the crisis of Britain around 1930s, the differences between Chinese philosophy and western philosophy and the influence of Arthur Waley's family.Secondly, the position of translated literature determines translator's choice of translation strategy. Through analysis of several examples from lexical level, syntactic level and stylistic level, the Polysystem Theory is proven to be useful in guiding the translators during the process of translation.Thirdly, although Polysytem Theory makes a great contribution in the translational studies, it has its limitations. This thesis aims to provide a more extensive studying area for translating The Analects of Confucius in the future.