Studies On The Canonization Of Bing Xing's Translation Of The Prophet By Gibran Kahlil Gibran

The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English by the Lebanese-American poet and writer Gibran Kahlil Gibran.It is regarded as Gibran's best known work.The Prophet has been translated into over 100 different languages since its debut,attracting readers worldwide.In 1931,Crescent Bookstore published The Prophet translated by Bing Xin,since then Gibran became a household name in China.And the work The Prophet has been gradually established as a classic piece of literature.However,the study of The Prophet in academia particularly focuses on its themes and main idea as well as the translation style of Bing Xin,while neglecting the canonization process of Bing's translation.In view of this,this paper,based on the canonization theory,intends to conduct a systematic review over the 90-year development of The Prophet translated by Bing Xin while taking into account factors such as the author,the translator,socio-cultural background,“patronage” and readers,to name but a few.This paper is comprised of six chapters: the first chapter introduces the origin and objectives of this study,current research on Gibran and The Prophet within China;the second chapter explains the theoretical framework of this paper after referring to the canonization and canonicity of translated literary theories,and highlights its value;the third chapter mainly conducts a literary analysis of The Prophet;the fourth chapter gives a detailed description of Bing Xin,the similarities between Bing Xin and Gibran,Bing Xin's translation thoughts,and the“literariness” embedded in Bing's translation;chapter five,based on external factors,analyzes the canonization process of Bing's translation from the perspectives of socio-cultural environment,“patronage” and reader-response criticism;chapter six summarizes the influence exerted by internal and external factors on the canonization process of Bing's translation,and provides a reference for future translated literature.Through the research,it can be concluded that with the joined efforts by the translator herself and external forces,The Prophet translated by Bing Xin became a literary classic.On the one hand,the remarkably high similarities between Bing Xin and Gibran in terms of life experience and beliefs,and the “literariness” embedded within Bing's translation serve as inherent driving forces for the canonization of Bing's version.On the other hand,Bing's translation,at its beginning,is in accordance with the spirits of the times.Moreover,starting from its first edition,Bing's translation has been greatly supported by“patronage(s)”.Even ushering in the new era of digital media,“patronage(s)” quickly change(s)marketing strategies to cater for the masses until their needs are met.As a result,readers' response,in turn,accelerates the canonization process of Bing's translation.Due to this combined efforts by internal and external forces,Bing's translation gains and further maintains the status as a classic.