A Comparative Study On Image Actualization In English Translation Of Li Qingzhao's Ci-poems

Ci-poetry is often mentioned in the same breath with poems, and these two together add a most illustrious chapter to the annals of classical Chinese literature. In a way, ci-poetry may be said to be more beautiful, for it can express more refined,more delicate, more subtle feelings than can poems. Ci-poetry is so charming that millions of people, domestic or abroad, have been attracted by it and have read it with delight or for the purpose of study and research. Image, as one of the most important categories in classical Chinese poetics, has become a constant subject of research in recent years. Critics and translators in particular have attached primacy to image, which is widely cited as a key component of poem. Being a trans-disciplinary concept, image arouses interest from researchers in the field of philosophy, aesthetics, psychology and literature.The author tries to contrast some versions of Li Qingzhao's ci-poems on how to actualize the images in ci-poetry more beautifully and in an acceptable way. The author reviews the development and classification of images in Li's ci-poetry as well. The main part of the thesis is to analyze image-G (Gestalt image) actualization theory, and to establish a model of image-actualization according to the theory."Gestalt"is a German word, which means"form, graphic or cloze". This concept means not only the pure, static shapes in visual sense, but stresses on the whole effect by organizing every part of one subject."Gestalt"refers to a concrete, separate and special entity, which exists as an isolated morphology. One feature of gestalt is that it has certain kind of shape or form. Image-G is a macro image built on the basis of micro images and can be both a mental representation and a linguistic expression. Gestalt image refers to the representation (mental and linguistic) of a certain scene, a certain character or an event as a whole in a literary text. Thus according to image-G theory, the actualization of image in ci-poetry includes the understanding process and representing process.On the basis of different translations of Li Qingzhao's ci-poems, this thesis makes a preliminary discussion on the process of certain kinds of image actualization, such as the actualization of descriptive image, auditory image, abstract image and cultural image. In this thesis, the actualization of images of ci-poetry in translating process is highlighted. All in all, it is only the initial small step, and more researches should be made in this regard.