Aspatial Context Perspective To The Annotations In Three Chinese Versions Of Tess Of The D' Urbervilles

Annotation is an important translation technique widely used in literary translation, especially in the translation of classic literary works. Tess of the D'Urbervilles receives popularity, attracts countless Chinese readers and is retranslated again and again by different translators represented by Zhang Guruo(1984), Sun Fali(1993), and Zheng Damin(2006). There are a large number of annotations in three versions of Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Zhang Guruo provides tremendous amounts of annotations, while Sun Fali and Zheng Damin give relatively fewer annotations.Comparing to the popularity of annotation among translators, little attention has been paid to its theoretic framework in academic circles, and systematic and intensive studies on the annotation remain little. Owing to the unsatisfactory situation of the annotation research, this thesis explores the annotations in three versions of Tess of the D'Urbervilles on the basis of the Spatial Theory of Context. According to the Spatial Theory of Context, space of context can be divided into natural space, social space and mental space. Accordingly, annotations can be classified into the ones for natural space of context, social space of context and mental space of context.Through a comprehensive analysis of the subject, it is found that the Spatial Theory of Context is a reasonable and workable theoretical perspective used to discuss the subject. The reason for plenty of annotations in the three versions is that western countries and China have different natural space, social space and mental space. Annotations are used to help readers better understand and appreciate the original. Through the annotations, these three different spaces of context are reproduced and compensated in the target text. With the communication and development of languages and cultures, differences in these three spaces of context are gradually reduced. Hence, annotations for different natural space of context, social space of context and mental space of context become less and less. It is a new perspective to study annotations in Chinese versions of Tess of the D'Urbervilles and will give contributions to the translation theory and help to the perfection of the study of annotation. What has been found in the thesis can be expanded to the literary translation, especially the translation of classic literary works. When the translators meet with difficulties in the process of translation, they try their best to solve the problem and use annotations more properly and scientifically. When the space of context of the target text and source text is different, annotations are used. When the space of context of the target text and source text is similar, annotations are less or never used.