A Research Of The Plot Choice And Motivations Of Adaptation Of The Two Abridged English Versions Of Hong Lou Meng From The Perspective Of Manipulation Theory

The120-chapter Chinese classical novel Hong Lou Meng (Dream of the RedMansion) involves quite a number of descriptions of significant plots and scenes, in whichcomplicated plots (events) and dizzying characters forms a crisscross net structure. As twooutstanding abridged English translations produced in1958, Chi-chen Wang’sforty-chapter version and Florence and Isabel McHugh’s fifty-chapter version cannotdescribe every plot and characters their original does. Thus to keep the coherence of plotsand the completeness of structure of the original will be a challenging consideration on thepart of the translators. It follows that the translation methods and purposes are worthy ofexploration. This paper makes both a microscopic and macroscopic analysis of thedifferences of the plots between Wang’s and McHugh’s versions and attempts to find outthe motivations of adaptation by using the dimensions of ideology, poetics and patronagein manipulation theory, with an aim to make potential contribution to future translationstudies of Hong Lou Meng.Through comparative analysis, the paper makes the following findings:First of all, the two plotlines of the original novel, that is, the rise and fall of Jiafamily and the love story of Bao-yu and Dai-yu, turns into one single love plotline in thetwo abridged English versions, and that is the love story of Bao-yu and Dai-yu. Adoptinga foreignizating method, the Wang’s version abides by the storyline of the love plot andtransforms the novel into a beautiful love story. On the contrary, the McHugh sisters keepin mind both the original storyline and their target reader and make a massive adaptationby means of domestication and imagination, which results in a picture of a triangle loveamong Bao-yu, Dai-yu and Bao-chai.Secondly, compared with the344plots in the original novel, the Wang’s versionretains only169while McHughs’ version reserves223, which amounts to a quarter morethan that of the Wang’s.Thirdly, Chi-chen Wang not only adheres to the description of laboring people underthe influence of American realism literature. He also makes a choice of the last fortychapters of the original under the effect of new redology and Hu Shih, deletes thestoryteller feature under his own translation standards. Together with the pressure of thepatronage, he reserves the love plotline, exotic customs and legendary colors. Last but not least, Kuhn-McHugh, under the influence of adaption and poetics in theera of western critical realism, gives more attention to female characters and makes anartistic transformation of the original novel by deleting the tedious details. In addition,they resort to a large amount of summarization due to the constraints of time and pagenumbers stipulated by their patronage.This paper aims to provide references for literary readers choosing their favoriteversions and enlighten the researchers of versions for analyzing the purposes of translationor adaptation by employing manipulation theory.