A "Conditioned" Reproduction Of "Image-beauty" In Translation Of Chinese Classical Poetry A Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics

Images, consisting of both "concept"(yi) and "image"(hsiang), as the soul of Chinese classical poetry, are richly endowed with distinctive Chinese culture and serve as the carrier of the beauty of poetry. Images are often adopted to display the poets’emotion, thought or ambition. Accordingly, the comprehension of Images is the key to appreciating the beauty of poetry, which also becomes the most important part of poetry translation. However, in terms of the conveyance of Image-beauty, there exist two concepts:the "aesthetic reproduction" and the "aesthetic ablation "of Image-beauty, both of which are made in view of language, culture and aesthetics, with the former focusing on the commonness while the latter on the differences.Nevertheless, facts in translation practice prove that both concepts are too absolutely made, because the Chinese Image-beauty in poetry can not be fully reproduced due to the great differences in terms of language, culture and aesthetics between Chinese and English, nor can it be merely ablated or eroded without any reproduction through the translation process. Therefore a new perspective to deal with the Image-beauty conveyance appears, that is, to put the translators into target readers’ shoes by taking into consideration the target readers’reception in view of their horizons of expectation, which is, however, not given due attention in the process of translation.Reception Aesthetics, a literary theory, focuses on target readers’ reception of texts and highlights their positive and dynamic role in comprehending, appreciating and even creating the significance and aesthetic value of literature works. With a good expectation to reproduce Image-beauty, translators spare no efforts to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers, but it seldom occurs to them that whether or not what they have translated can be accepted and comprehended by target readers.This thesis begins with a brief introduction to Images in both Chinese and Western poetry, classifies Images into descriptive Images, rhetorical Images and allusive and symbolic Images based on their varied functions and expounds the aesthetic value of Images in Chinese classical poetry. In chapter two, the author shifts to the review of the present two concepts existing in Image-beauty conveyance:"aesthetic reproduction" and "aesthetic ablation" and analyzes their restrictions. Based on the framework of Reception Aesthetics, the author puts forward tentatively her own idea that Image-beauty can be "conditionally" reproduced rather than fully reproduced or merely ablated because of the audience’s varied horizons of expectation, different language appreciations and aesthetic preference as well as the mixed cultural acceptability. Chapter three elucidates the illumination from the Reception Aesthetics in transferring Image-beauty of Chinese classical poetry by suggesting two general principles:reader-centered orientation and appeal of exotic beauty to the readers, followed by some tactics and methods applicable to the "conditioned reproduction" in light of Reception Aesthetics, namely, to focus on readers’horizon of expectation, adapt to readers’linguistic aesthetic preference, and focus on readers’cultural capacity. At last, the author bases herself on Xu Yuanchong’s version of Chinese classical poetry and analyzes the ways of "conditioned" reproduction, namely, full conveyance of the Image-beauty, substitution of the Image-beauty, partial conveyance of the Image-beauty and zero conveyance of Image-beauty.