Transmission And Variation: The Journey To The West In The Us

In 1895, the American missionary, Samuel I. Woodbridge first translated stories in the novel into English and for the first time ever introduced this enchanting fantasy novel to the readership in the US. Since then the novel has attracted quite a lot of scholastic attention of the American academia and various translated versions of the novel have emerged. Over the course of transmission, the text per se has varied and changed in a heterogeneous civilization due to the different time, circumstances,readership etc. The variation theory of comparative literature is such a newly proposed theory that explores the rules of literary Variation on the basis of the study on the variation status in the literary exchanges between different countries. It provides us with a new perspective to look at the literary distortions and rewritings that are bound to happen in literary communication. Few scholars at home have paid attention to such topics. Henceforth, a study of the transmission history of such a unique classical work as The Journey to the West in the US in light of the variation theory is necessary. We could find out how and why this novel which is the epitome of Chinese fantasy literature has changed and varied as well as what underlying rules are motivating such variations when it travels into the heterogeneous American civilization via translation.Through such a study, we will be able to better guide future efforts in promoting Chinese cultures abroad and instill new inspirations for scholars at home who study this classical novel especially those who cannot read in English.A qualitative research method based on literature collection is adopted for the purpose of the study which examines the transmission of The Journey to the West in America based on the theory of variation of comparative literature by dividing the transmission history into the early and thriving periods. For each individual period,translations and studies of the novel are examined separately from three different perspectives of the variation theory, namely, variations on the level of language, culture and civilization.There are altogether five parts in this thesis. The first chapter is an introduction to the background, significance and research methodology of the study and the status quo of the research; chapter two firstly briefs on the historical background and research fields of the variation theory and then specifies the three aspects of variations involved in the examination of The Journey to the West’s transmission in America, namely,variation on the level of language, culture and civilization; the third chapter examinesthe early period(1890s to 1980s) of The Journey’s transmission in America based on the variations on the level of language and civilization in variation theory. The focus is on the creative treason embodied in Woodbridge’s first partial translation and Anthony Yu’s complete rendition as well as how the novel has varied in Andrew Plaks’ allegorical interpretation; the fourth chapter looks at the thriving period(1980s till the present) of The Journey’s transmission in America. Cultural filtering of the variation theory is applied in the analysis of the various excerpted, partial and adapted translations of the novel emerged during this time which are based on the adventure story of the Monkey.In the final part of the thesis, it is concluded that the variations and distortions of The Journey to the West in the US ultimately lie in the heterogeneity of cultures and civilizations. Such a study on the different and divergent reception status of the novel in America enables us to better understand the diversity and heterogeneity of the eastern and western civilizations so as to better promote Chinese cultures and literature abroad and enhance the dialogue and communication between China and the west.