On The English Translation Of San Guo Yan Yi By Moss Roberts From The Perspective Of Translation Aesthetics

San Guo Yan Yi, one of the most outstanding works in classic Chinese literature, has profound themes; moreover, it represents the highest artistic achievements. "The language was not overly abstruse, nor was the wording overly vulgar." The language of the novel is concise and vivid, and it represents the peak of the language art of classic Chinese novels. Up to now, this novel has been translated into Latin, English, French, German, Dutch, Russian, Estonian, Polish, etc. Because of its great influence, it is even called "the Chinese epic". However, research on the translation of San Guo Yan Yi is far from enough. There has been no monograph on its translation, and there are only a few M.A. or PhD theses centering on this topic, let alone the systematic research from the perspective of translation aesthetics.As one of the four masterpieces in classic Chinese literature, San Guo Yan Yi is so attractive that translators, generation after generation, have been trying to translate it into English. However, among its numerous English versions, many are excerpts, and only two are complete English versions:one, translated by C.H. Brewitt-Taylor in the beginning of 20th century, was published in 1925, while the other, translated by Moss Roberts in 1980s, was first published in 1992. The major difference between these two versions is that Roberts' version focuses more on the cultural transmission and academic rigor, whereas Brewitt-Taylor's version focuses more on the attraction of the complicated and impressive plots of the story. Ever since its publication, Roberts' translation has received widespread acclaim from Chinese and foreign experts. Roberts' multi-identity as a translator, a teacher as well as an ambassador of Chinese culture indicates that his translation is worth further research.The emergence and development of aesthetics has provided a good platform and basis for the study of literature as well as the study of the translation of literary works. Aesthetics is a subject studying human beings' feelings about beauty. The theory of translation aesthetics, which combines aesthetics with translation studies, has aroused much concern in academic circles since its proposal. Translation aesthetics has provided a new angle for translation studies, the translation of literary works in particular. Like the study of poetry translation and prose translation, the study of the translation of novels cannot be separated from aesthetics, for the language of novels is highly concise and literary, in other words, the language of novels reflects the artistic beauty of language; therefore, a decent translation of a novel must try to retain the aesthetic effects of the original work.Based on the above analysis, the present author is going to use the theory of translation aesthetics to analyze and study Moss Roberts' translation of San Guo Yan Yi. Based on the theory of translation aesthetics proposed by Liu Miqing, to be specific, Aesthetic Subject, Aesthetic Object, Aesthetic Representation and Aesthetic Criteria, the present author will make a relatively comprehensive research on how the translator recreates the formal as well as the non-formal beauty of the original work.This thesis has provided a new angle for the study of Roberts' translation of San Guo Yan Yi, that is, the angle of translation aesthetics; meanwhile, it has further proved the practicability of Liu Miqing's theory of translation aesthetics in the analysis of classic Chinese novels.