The Role Of Target Readers In Lin Shu's Translation

Based on the theory of Reception Aesthetics and the Skopostheorie, this thesis attempts to adopt a descriptive-explanatory method to explore the target readers' role in Lin Shu's translation. The theory of Reception Aesthetics holds that the reader achieves the meaning of a work in an ongoing process of interpretation. In addition, they claim that among author, work and reader, a certain priority must be given to the role of the reader as an active rather than a passive role. According to the Skopostheorie, every translation is directed at an intended audience, since to translate means to produce a text in a target setting for a target purpose and target addressees in target circumstances. So according to the two theories, the thesis puts forward the hypnosis that the translator can not neglect the role of the target readers in his translation process. Lin Shu is one of the most important and influential translators in Chinese literary history. Since his first translation met the public in 1899, there have been various critical responses from Chinese scholars. Enlightened by the above two theories, the thesis attempts to analyze Lin Shu's translation from the perspective of the target reader. The thesis tries to prove that the target readers' political ideology, linguistic expectation horizon, cultural expectation horizon and literary norms played an important role in Lin Shu's translation.