An Integrated Approach Of Narratology And Literary Stylistics To Howard Goldblatt’s Translation Of Mo Yan’s Jiu Guo

Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012, is the Chinese contemporary writer who has the largest number of works introduced abroad, enjoying fairly a fame and recognization among English readers. American translator Howard Goldblatt is the western scholar who has made the greatest contribution in translating Chinese contemporary literary works and introducing them into English-speaking world, among which Mo Yan’s works occupy the larger proportion. Mo Yan’s overseas popularity depends in a large degree on Goldblatt’s efforts. Studying Mo Yan’s case of success is of considerable reference value for the Chinese scholars who are probing a way out of the challenge of translating and introducing Chinese literature abroad.Enlightened by Professor Shen Dan’s discussion on the promising application of narratology and literary stylistics to literature translation study, the author has found that these two approaches could serve as ideal support and supplement for each other, and that a integration of them would bring a more comprehensive perspective in literature translation study. The thesis takes as its subject matter Mo Yan’s novel Jiu Guo—the most experimental piece of his works, richest of writing techniques—and Goldblatt’s translation of The Republic of Wine. With an integrated approach of narratology and literary stylistics, it attempts to explore the translator’s reconstruction of the original text, especially on how he has chosen his translation methods when facing the writer’s unique narratives and well-designed literary styles. The thesis eventually finds that in his translation, he has selectively emphasized on the demands of "loyalty to the original" or "acceptance of translation among readers".The thesis selects abundant examples from the source and target texts for careful comparison and contrast, which cover the following six aspects:narrative structure, narrative time, narrative mode and narrative message from narratological perspective, and linguistic style and figure of speech from literary stylistic perspective. Case analyses are not made for a judgment of good or bad, but they are conducted for assessing aesthetic effects and understanding the reasons of translator’s choices.