Influences Of Translated Literature Around The May 4^th Movement On Writing

Translated literature around the May 4th Movement (1898-1949) has played very important roles in the Chinese translation history, and exerted immeasurable influences on the development and boom of Chinese new literature. Many literary giants around this time not only have read and translated various kinds of excellent foreign literary works, but also have taken up the vantage points of these translated literature and made most of them in their own writings to facilitate the prosperity of modern Chinese literature. With the emergence of polysystem theory, the relationship between translated literature and original literature, especially the position of translated literature in certain literary polysystem has begun to attract more and more attention both at home and abroad.Proposed by the Israeli scholar Itamar Even-Zohar, polysystem theory indicates that sign-governed human patterns of communication (such as culture, language, literature, and society) could be more adequately understood and studied if regarded as system. The system is very rarely a uni-system, but is, necessarily, a polysystem-a multiple system, a system of various systems which intersect and compete with each other, yet functioning as one structural whole, whose members are interdependent. According to polysystem theory, translated literature can be regarded as a system since it has its own norms, patterns of behavior and rules. It is also a component of certain literary polysystem. Under some special circumstances, it will maintain the central position of a literary polysystem and become an indispensable part of innovatory forces of literature. As a theoretical model, polysystem theory appears to provide an adequate framework for the systematic study of translated literature, to promote its position and to give some reasonable explanations for the emergence of some translation peaks in certain historical periods.Chinese literary polysystem has undergone a main transition around the May 4th Movement. Translated literature also has moved from its periphery position to the central position, and has had substantial impacts on modern Chinese literary writing. Various excellent foreign literary works have been translated into Chinese, covering a large number of works of the brilliant foreign writers. The development and boom of translated literature not only has been under great influences of the social and historical background at that time, but also has a close connection with the promotion of literary associations and journals and the hard work of translators as well as the central position of translated literature in Chinese literary polysystem. On this occasion, translated literature around the May 4th Movement participates actively in shaping the center of literary polysystem, and promotes the innovation of Chinese writing conceptions, genres and language. As a banner and master of modern Chinese literary circle, Mao Dun's great achievements in writing are attributed to his outstanding literary endowment, hard work and rewarding experience as well as the thriving translated literature at that time. His writing theme, writing techniques and writing language indicate to some extent the profound influences of translated literary works of the most influential foreign writers such as Ibsen, Walter Scott, Lev Tolstoy and Freud and so on.The application of polysystem theory in the study of the relationship between translated literature and original writing around the May 4th Movement furthers our understanding of the influence of translating activities on literary writing. It is also conducive to the change of certain situation that translated literature has undergone ignorance for a long time. In addition, it provides a new perspective for the study of Mao Dun as well as contemporary writers who are under great influences of translated literature.