A Comparative Study On English Versions Of Li Shangyin's Poems In Light Of Philosophical Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics, a subject on understanding and interpretation, owns natural and intrinsic association with translation. Unlike general hermeneutics, philosophical hermeneutics, no longer confined to the pursuit of pure objective meanings of a text, lays emphasis on translators'subjectivity and historicity in understanding and interpreting, which can be called a positive progress. As the founder and a most influential representative of philosophical hermeneutics, Gadamer puts forward his significant principles: historicity of understanding, fusion of horizons and effective history, revealing the active role a translator plays in translating; the process of the fusion of horizons held respectively by the translator and the author; the openness of the source text demanding understanding the work from its historical effect, which undoubtedly throw new light on translation studies.The thesis aims to carry out a comparative study on different English versions of Li Shangyin's poems from the perspective of principles in Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics, intended for affirming the subjectivity of translators in translating, the creativity of translation versions and how philosophical hermeneutics develops its guidance in literary translation especially in poetry translation.In light of philosophical hermeneutics, literary translation actually conducts a dynamic process during which translators carry out a conversation with the source text, with the true meaning of a text being a creation via the interaction between subjects. The creativity of translators gets brought into play owing to the spots of indeterminacy in meaning of literary works, therefore, the understanding of a text surely turns out to be of diversity, generating different translation versions. The assertion of the dominant role in translating does not mean a translator is allowed to deal with the translation at random without any restriction, while stressing the subjectivity of translators practiced in literary translation, their understanding and interpretation have to be confined by the source text. In addition, due to the historicity of the subjects and the objects of understanding as well, the hidden meaning of a text is being explored as the time goes by. Time endows a literary text with historicity and temporality, leaving historical marks on the text since it is also a creation of the age, thus, supposing a text wants to be accepted by a new era, its connotation should not get stuck in the temporality of the time in which it is created. As the time shifts, a text is doomed to be added things belonging to the contemporary age so as to display its present value on account of constant changes occurring both in the source language and the target one. Accordingly, retranslation of literary works turns out to be of great significance for extending their epochal meaning.The thesis also probes into the criteria for literary translation and points out the unfavourable effects aroused by the application of philosophical hermeneutics to translation. It is hoped to further explore the essence of literary translation and help throw new light on translation studies in the future.