A Study On Arthur Waley's Translation

Arthur Waley is one of the greatest British translators of the high literary cultures of China and Japan in the 20th century. Waley's English versions of Oriental classics have, from the very start, aroused the interest of Western readers and provided a window for them to look at the literature, culture and society of that remote East. T. S. Eliot once acknowledged Waley's contribution to English poetry and European culture:"[...]in our own time, the poetical translations from the Chinese made by Pound, and those made by Arthur Waley, have probably been read by every poet writing in English" (Eliot,1949:117). And David Hawkes said of his two translated novels Genji and Monkey:"[B]oth are likely to retain a permanent place in English literature, comparable to that occupied by the translations of Berners, Dryden, and the like" (Hawkes, 1966:146). Nearly a century has passed since Waley's first translations appeared; his translations have stood the test of time, and are now part of a literary and poetic tradition, and of a tradition in terms of translation thought and approach. As a translator, he might be superseded as time passes and results of scholarly research accumulate, but as a cultural popularizer who brought a major part of Oriental literature and thought into Western intellectual reach, the impact he made in Oriental studies, in literature, and in literary translation is unlikely to be repeated.Despite his astonishing lifetime production and its incalculable influence, the critical neglect of Waley is surprising. The number of existing papers, theses, and works is limited, and they are mainly general introductions to Waley, close readings of Waley's works, or comparisons of Waley's translations with others'. These studies, though they have given some valuable information and good insight, seem barely enough to do justice to a scholarly translator of Waley's depth, scope and influence.In the light of cultural studies in translation, with special reference to Even-Zohar's polysystem theory, Andre Levefere's rewriting theory, and the descriptive translation studies approach, this dissertation attempts a target-oriented comprehensive study of Arthur Waley's translation, aimed at describing systematically the circumstances and facts of its production, promotion and reception, with the intention to reveal its socio-cultural context in terms of the target literary polysystem, its unique legacy for literary translation and the factors that made that legacy possible, and its modern relevance with respect to the translation of Chinese classics. It will address issues such as the historical context of Waley's emergence on the scene, the making of Arthur Waley as a translator of Oriental literature, his translations from Chinese and Japanese, his translation thoughts and strategies, the reception and influence of his translations, his place in the Modern Movement in the West; and, starting from there, to probe the cultural confluence and interplay between the East and the West, as well as the importance of literary translation and translators during that vital process.This dissertation is composed of five chapters excluding the introduction and the conclusion. The introduction gives an account of the research background, the existing studies on Arthur Waley, the research purpose and questions, the significance, and the methodology; it also outlines the structure of the dissertation. The first chapter provides a historical and cultural background to the study of Chinese art and culture in the West before the arrival of Arthur Waley, exploring Western conceptions of China before the 20th century, the reasons for the Western "rediscovery" of Chinese art and culture at the turn of the century, and the rising of sinology and the translation of Chinese literature in the West as the result of that "rediscovery".Following the introduction of the historical and cultural context, the second chapter gives a biographical account of Arthur Waley, focusing on his formative years, the years up until he made his decision to become an Orientalist and devote his life to the study and translation of classical Asian literature. By establishing his ethnic, family, intellectual and social background and personal relations, it seeks to reveal the many influences that helped to make Waley the Orientalist and translator.Waley's major translation activities and translated works—their production, contents, features, and their then reception are dealt with in the third chapter. His translations include those of Chinese poetry, Chinese ancient philosophic works, a Chinese novel, as well as translations of Japanese poetry, drama and novels. Their production is recounted by classification, their contents explained, and their reception studied by referring to opinions of famous critics, scholars and poets of Waley's time. Those critical reviews, documents of great value as social and cultural history, contribute a lot to our knowledge of how Waley did his translations, how they stood as they were, and how they were read and received at the time of their publication.Based on a study of Waley's translations and the numerous accompanying prefaces, introductions, bibliographies, footnotes, appendices, as well as critical reviews, Chapter four looks at Waley's translation thoughts, mainly on translation purpose, the selection of source texts, and the quality of a good translator; and at his translation strategies—his integrating literal and free translation, his accommodating a foreign poetic form, and his providing extensive critical apparatus. To highlight Waley's translation style, a comparison is made between Waley's translations and Pound's, revealing that with different roles, predilections and talents, Waley and Pound came to ancient Chinese poetry and produced translations significantly different in the basic translation approach, handling of rhythm, and use of images.Chapter five is a study on Waley's influence manifested in the spread, canonization and impact of his translations. The frequent appearances of Waley's translated Chinese poems in journals and magazines, the reprints of his books, their public and university library collections, their retranslations into other languages, and the music settings of his poems testify to his great popularity. The affirmation and approval by critics and scholars, constant reprints by famous publishers, selections for inclusion in important anthologies and textbooks, reception by today's readers and, above all, a large number of noted followers, are all evidence of the prevalence and canonical status of his translation. A research on the influence of Waley's works in Oriental studies, literature, and translation shows that the impact he made in these fields is unique.The conclusion recapitulates by going back to the research questions, highlighting Waley's role in the reshaping of the English literary polysystem of his time, and his successful mediation between the source and target cultures embodied respectively by an Oriental scholarship and an English poetics, a unique part of his legacy and also part of the secret of his success. Also in this part of the dissertation, the factors that made Waley a successful mediator are suggested, implications of his case for the translation of Chinese classics discussed, limitations of the study mentioned, and suggestions for further research put forward.