A Comparative Study On The Three English Versions Of Liao Zhai Zhi Yi From The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics

Liao Zhai Zhi Yi, known as the pinnacle of classical Chinese novels, is a significant literary work rich in academic and research values in the history of Chinese literature by Pu Songling at the beginning of the 17th century. It has far-reaching influence on Chinese literary creation. This provoking work has been translated successively into many different languages due to its distinctive connotation and implication. The novel's English versions will undoubtedly contribute to foreign readers'appreciation of classical Chinese novels and better understanding of profound Chinese culture as well. The author chooses the three English versions in different historical periods and intends to explore and compare them from the perspective of reception aestheticsReception aesthetics, (also known as reception theory), as a new paradigm and methodology of literary analysis and criticism, arose from Germany in the 1960s, realizes a shift from the author-centered and work-centered to the reader-centered. Its appearance introduces a new idea and new thought to the translation studies, in which the emphasis will be laid on the translator's initiative and creativity. According to Reception Aesthetics, the literary work is an unfinished, multilevel schematic structure, full of"spots of indeterminacies". The meaning of literary works depends on the reader's concretization and the literary research should attach importance to the reader's acceptance and understanding.In literary translation, the translator, as the acceptor of the original text information (reader) and the creator of the target language translation (translator), plays a dual role in the translation process. According to reception theory, each individual translator as a reader has his own"horizon of expectations"and explanation to the"indeterminacies"due to his pre-knowledge in mind such as social experience, aesthetic tendency, acceptability and other factors. Moreover, in a literary work, there are plenty of"spots of indeterminacies"needing the readers to concretize, according to their own comprehension. Translators must take the potential readers into consideration,predict their levels of acceptance and the power of appreciation to make his own understanding best meet the target readers'"horizon of expectations", and thus achieve the"fusion of horizons"of the translator and the readers to the full extent. Owing to different historical and cultural backgrounds, different translators have different"horizon of expectation". In addition, the target readers of the different versions also have their own"horizon of expectations"and acceptability. Based on their particular"horizon of expectations", the translators actively involve themselves in the reconstruction of the original work and making different concretizations for those"spots of indeterminacies"and thus form different translations.In this thesis, the author intends to state that translators living in different times have different"horizon of expectation"and concretizations of"indeterminacies"by choosing the three influential English versions of Liao Zhai Zhi Yi in different historical periods, namely, Herbert Allen Giles'version , Yang Xianyi and his wife GlasysYang', and Denis C. Mair and Victor H. Mair'. Liao Zhai Zhi Yi, a great literary classic work with such profound connotation and implication, is worthy of endless interpretation and research. Only one version of Liao Zhai Zhi Yi could not satisfy the need of different reader in different period and fully unfold its ample semantic potential and profound Chinese culture. Only through multiple versions, we can get closer and closer to the original meaning of the work.