A Study On Self-translator’s Subjectivity In The Golden Cangue By Eileen Chang

The Golden Cangue by Eileen Chang has been labeled as a classic work sinceits debut, whose English counterpart is also considered as her most successfulself-translated piece. Throughout the history of translation, self-translation is withoutquestion one of the most particular phenomena ever. Sadly, even though the study onself-translation has made huge progress, there are few who specialize inself-translators. In the self-translation process, the author is playing the role oftranslator, which does not only distinguish self-translation from the average, but alsois an important part of self-translation study.The assumption proposed by Lefevere that translation is rewriting hasscientifically accounted for the role of translator in the translation process,highlighting the job of translator as the subject of translation, which is of enormoussignificant to the study translator’s subjectivity. Consequently, this thesis, withrewriting as its theoretical basis, is going to probe into Eileen Chang’s subjectivity asthe self-translator displayed in her self-rewritten The Golden Cangue expecting todiscover some features specific to self-translators so as to provide a new thinking forself-translation.The major findings of this thesis are:(1) compared with ordinary translators,Eileen Chang as the author-translator does enjoy greater autonomy to alter whatevershe finds inappropriate, which is an indicator of subjectivity specific to self-translators;(2) privileged as she is, Chang, like ordinary translators, has to rewrite the original forideological and poetological considerations, which is an indicator of subjectivityshared by both self-translators and ordinary ones;(3) whether the rewriting is out ofvoluntariness or reluctance self-translation is a kind of rewriting either way, and in therewriting process self-rewriter’s subjectivity is also highlighted.