A Study On Ideological And Poetological Manipulation Of Domestication In Lin Shu's Translation

Translation, being one form of rewriting and manipulation, is simultaneously a norm-governed activity undertaken in the service of power. Based on Andre Lefevere's theory of ideology and poetics and taking Lin Shu's translation as a case, this paper attempts to adopt a descriptive-explanatory method to explore the various hidden ideological and poetological factors accounting for Lin Shu's employment of domestication in his translation process by resituating Lin Shu's translation within the Chinese social-cultural backdrop of that particular period extending from 1840 to 1919.This thesis includes four parts:Part One begins with a brief introduction of Lin Shu's translation and the motivation to study the domestication in Lin Shu's translation. After a literary review of the comments made on Lin Shu's translation during four different historical periods in China, this part reveals the significance of this research and points out the methods and perspective to be employed.Part Two is the elaboration of the theoretical basis -- the theory of ideology and poetics putforward by Andre Lefevere. According to Lefevere, the literary system possesses a double control factor, one factor governs the system largely from the outside and the other keeps order within the literary system, and these two factors are represented by patronage and professionals respectively. Patrons are more interested in ideology, whereas the professionals in poetics. Both ideology and poetics, therefore, control the literary system in the final analysis, and hence the production of literature. Translation, as the most obviously recognizable form of rewriting, rewrites and manipulates works of literature to various ideological and poetological ends in a given society in a given way.Part Three is the main body of the thesis. Based on Andre Lefevere's theory of ideology and poetics, this part makes a detailed study of various ideological and poetological factors that might manipulate Lin Shu's employment of domestication in his translation in that special historical time. Firstly, as regards the ideological factors, three types of ideologies existing in the period of the late Qing Dynasty are categorized and expounded to demonstrate the special socio-cultural context in Lin Shu's time, namely, the political ideology, the cultural ideology and Confucian ideology. Through a detailed probe into the relation between these ideologies and Lin Shu's translation activity, it is clear that Lin Shu's employment of domestication was done under the constraints of both the dominant ideologies of the time and Lin Shu's individualideologies. Secondly, a tentative exploration into some poetological manipulation of Lin Shu's domestication is made. The poetological constraints consist mainly of the dominant poetics of the time, which is further classified into social views on fiction and literary norms, poetics of Tongcheng School, poetics of readership and Lin Shu's individual poetics. After a careful examination of the relation between these poetological factors and Lin Shu's translation, it can be concluded that Lin Shu's translation strategy of domestication was to a great extent the result of the combined and interrelated forces of the prevalent poetics of the time.Part Four is a brief conclusion based upon the above parts. Lin Shu's employment of domestication in his translation cannot be simply attributed to his personal preference or his linguistic proficiency, but to a great degree is manipulated by various closely interrelated ideological and poetological constraints in his time. Finally, the limitation of Lefevere's theory is pointed out in this part to make clear the necessity to insist on relativism rather than on absolutism when applying Lefevere's theory to translation studies.