A Study On The Features Of The Traditional Argumentative Essay In Zuo Zhi Chu Yan

Zuo Zhi Chu Yan, one of the rare social science works published in the late 19 th century, is concerned with western politics, economics, laws and social systems. It gives intellectuals in the late Qing Dynasty a real insight into western government and exerts a significant influence on Chinese modernization. Available researches on Zuo are found mainly in history and sociology, and deal with the general introduction to it or the evolution and clarification of relevant terminology. There are also a few translation studies focusing on the localized rendering of Zuo. However, they, to some extent, are broad and general, since localization is a shared characteristic of translations in the late Qing Dynasty and not adequate to show the uniqueness of Zuo.In view of this, this thesis gives a micro-level descriptive study of Zuo under the guidance of text typology. On the basis of a close reading of and comparison between the original and Zuo, it finds that Zuo converts the original into traditional Chinese argumentative essays titled with “Lun” and conforms to corresponding characteristics in respect of genre, discourse and function. In comparison with the original, firstly, the argumentative genre in Zuo is reinforced through the emphasis on the argument and the enrichment of supporting materials. Concretely, the argument is represented in titles, reaffirmed in conclusions and established in argumentation. The typification of examples and the addition of analogies enrich supporting materials which further illustrate the argument and consolidate the argumentative structure. Secondly, confronted discourse in Zuo is highlighted. Some special language patterns, like asking-and-answering form, rhetorical question, comparison and contrast and antithesis, are used to substitute the original objective and informative statements, bringing about the presentation of argumentative and dialectical discourse and giving prominence to the argumentative trait of traditional Chinese argumentative essays. Lastly, the addition of political comments and the announcement of political pursuits in Zuo give expression to the political function of traditional Chinese argumentative essays.In the late Qing Dynasty, the co-translation mode makes translations go through the interpretation of missionaries and the re-expression of Chinese intellectuals. Chinese embellishment in fact is both a kind of intralingual translation in conformity with Chinese writing rules and a hermeneutical process influenced by pre-understanding. This thesis, through micro-level comparison between texts and analysis of examples, aims to unveil the role that traditional Chinese poetics plays in intralingual translation, explore the process of the creation of new textual meaning caused by historical interpretation and be a complement to existing researches.