A Study On The Translation Of Hong Lou Meng From The Perspective Of Narratology

Hong Lou Meng, the summit of Chinese classical novels, is of an epoch-making significance. Studies on the translation of Hong Lou Meng are an important means to introduce this novel to the world. With the publication of the two English versions of Hong Lou Meng in the 1970 s and 1980 s, translation studies of this novel have been developed vigorously. However, current studies on the translation of Hong Lou Meng at home and abroad are still under the influence of the linguistic school which mainly focuses on the linguistic and cultural phenomena and neglects the literary meaning and aesthetic function revealed in the form and structure of the literary text, which is the very reason for the “deceptive equivalence”. The rise of Narratology has provided a new perspective for Hong Lou Meng translation studies. Text-oriented, classical Narratology is concerned with the narrative structure and techniques of fiction and, therefore, will definitely invigorate Hong Lou Meng translation studies.This thesis, by adopting four narrotological concepts that are closely related to fictional translation, namely unreliable narration, narrative point of view, modes of speech presentation and prolepsis, guides the translation studies of Hong Lou Meng. It attempts to explore effective translation strategies through a comparative analysis of typical examples taken from the two English versions. In the aspect of unreliable narration, the thesis discusses the transference of both narrator’s and character’s narration. Translators should make great efforts to provide target readers with certain clues or add some words to hint that the narration is unreliable. In the aspect of narrative point of view, the thesis analyzes the representation of both omniscient and character’s points of view in the two versions. Now that each narrative point of view has its own characteristics, translators should try to preserve the original point of view so that its artistic appeal can be demonstrated in the translated text. In the aspect of speech presentation, the thesis discusses five modes of speech presentation and their respective characteristics. Translators should choose to preserve them or transform them into other modes according to the author’s intention so that the original narrative features can be presented in the translated text. In the aspect of prolepsis, this thesis probes into the translation of explicit prolepsis and implicit prolepsis. Explicit prolepsis has been translated literally. However, implicit prolepsis, due to its artistic form(i.e. judging-lines, songs, lantern riddles, drinking-game lines and poetry) and the aid of puns, is difficult to deal with. Therefore, translators should exert their subjectivity and adopt flexible strategies after having a thorough analysis of the prolepsis in a given context. After all, Yang’s literal translation with footnotes and Hawkes’ s integrated compensation are both good choices.In conclusion, narration is the essential feature of fictional texts. Therefore, studies on the translation of Hong Lou Meng from the perspective of Narratology are feasible and necessary. The thesis is expected to shed light on the development of Hong Lou Meng translation studies.