A Brief Study Of Narratology And Literary Translation:Reflections On The Translation Of The Pool

Maugham’s short story The Pool is difficult to translate because of its unique narrative style. In view of narrative studies, this paper focuses on narrative discourse and narrative voice. It shows in an analysis of the Chinese translation of The Pool how narratology may be used in fictional translation as a strong explanatory power.A translator should give full attention to the narrative discourse, and attach great importance to the language form which has its own meaning and value, so as to convey the author’s narrative and aesthetic intention. When dealing with the changing of narrative voices, a translator should avoid unnecessary intervention to better retain the authenticity of visual effects..Narratology provides a new perspective for fictional translation. It directs attention to the importance of structural analysis, as well as semantic, pragmatic and discourse analysis. Bringing narratology into fictional translation helps to avoid the dichotomy of form and content in fictional translation, and to show that the rhetorical implication, ethical importance, and aesthetic value of fictions are inseparable.