A Comparative Study Of Three Chinese Translated Versions Of Homosexuality-related Excerpts Of The Color Purple: A Queer Theory Perspective

Queer theory, due to its inherent relationship with sexology and psychology thatshed light upon the study of gender and sex identity, has naturally found its way toexerting influence on literary criticism. In the meantime, homosexual literature hasbecome a hotspot in the discussion of alternative literature, with many classicsrelabeled as homosexual works, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple being an importantone of them. The concept of performativity, first theorized by American scholar JudithButler, provides a guideline in reshaping the relationship between men and women,and reconstructing heterosexuality and homosexuality. Literary criticism ofhomosexual works has thus taken on a new look. Homosexuality, once hidden andartificially buried in classics, has been dug out and analyzed.The E-C translation of western homosexuality-related works, however, lagsbehind in theoretical development. Past translated versions of some works are notcompatible with their modern reviews any more. An application of queer theory totranslation is therefore, imperative. Through a comparative study of differenttranslated versions of the same work, under the guidance of queer theory,homosexuality-related parts will have a chance to be zoomed in and properly analyzed,as to avoid as many as possible inappropriate translational approaches such asomission, rephrasing, understatement, or simply mistranslation solicited byheterosexism. Suggestions based on the comparative study of the three Chineseversions of The Color Purple guided by queer theory are to be put forward so as toprompt future translators to better convey the original writing purposes of authors,and produce better translated versions.