On The Translation And Reception Of Tang Poetry In Britain And The United States

The Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties are the prime stages in the history of Chinese poetry. At the peak of the prime stages, Tang poetry is the most glorious part of our literary heritage. Nevertheless, under the domination of "Europocentrism" and "Orientalism", Chinese culture has long been depreciated to an inferior position by the common Western readers. Based on the analysis of the translation and reception of Tang poetry in Britain and the United States, this thesis intends to illustrate the great influence of Tang poetry on Western culture. As one of the representatives of Chinese culture, Tang poetry provides us with a good example that under the current trend of cultural globalization and cultural pluralism, the East should co-exist and dialogue with the West on an equal footing. As the medium of cultural communication, translation plays an indispensable role in this process. This thesis is divided into five chapters in addition to introduction and conclusion.Chapter One is a brief introduction to Tang poetry from both diachronic and synchronic points of view, including commentaries on it. Chinese traditional culture represented by Tang poetry is a treasure among the cultures of the world;Chapter Two is a general survey of the history of Tang poetry in terms of its translation in Britain and the United States with the features being discussed;Chapter Three is focused on the comparison of severalversions of three Tang poems. Different features of the versions are found out through comparison. It is the versions with various features that provide readers with the possibility of appreciating Tang poetry from a multi-perspective;Chapter Four elaborates the reception of Tang poetry in Britain and the United States. Kenneth Rexroth, Gary Snyder and Stephen Owen are taken as examples so as to account for Tang poetry's impact on Anglo-American readers;Chapter Five concentrates on the re-evaluation of Tang poetry amid the current trend of cultural globalization. Chinese culture has been depreciated by common Western readers under the influence of "Europocentrism" and "Orientalism". Nevertheless, as one of the representatives of Chinese culture, Tang poetry provides us with inspiration to solve some problems of the present era and its translation and reception in Britain and the United States have set a perfect example for the co-existence and dialogue between the East and the West on an equal footing. As the medium of cultural communication, translation does play an indispensable role in this respect.Tang poetry, as one who reads it will readily perceive, is not just the product of a particularly golden age in China's literary history, but a part of the brilliant cultural legacy shared by the people the world over.