Localization And Canonization

This thesis adopts the rewriting and manipulation theory of translation studies,taking the introduction and reception of Wilde in China from 1900 to 1940 as the study object.This thesis discovers that the reception of Wilde in China from 1900 to1940 is a process of canonization through localization,which involves the conscious rewriting and manipulation of restructuring Wilde and his literary works as pioneers of anti-tradition remonstration,linking Wilde to the need of a new literature and social reform and the solidification of canonization through mainstream literary review and which has exerted a great impact upon the reception of Wilde and academic interest in future generations.The Introduction offers an overview of the research background,i.e.the cultural turn in translation studies and of the structure of this thesis.The Introduction also introduces the findings of other relevant researches and points out that this thesis would adopt the scope of localization and canonization in the study of the translation and reception of Wilde in China from 1900-1940.Chapter One aims to offer an overview of historical and cultural background in which Wilde was introduced into China and an overview of the introduction and translation of Wilde in China from1900 to 1940.Chapter Two makes a detailed analysis of the selection,rewriting and manipulation of The Happy Prince,Salomé,The Preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere’s Fan,which served the need for a new literature,enlightenment,remonstration and the publicizing of feminist ideas.Chapter Three centers on the canonization process and the according influences.The conscious and active assimilation of Wilde with the mainstream ideology through rewriting and manipulation and the over-positive praises made by pioneering scholars are the reasons that triggered the canonization of Wilde in China from 1900-1940.Chapter Three also aims to analyze the profound impact the canonization of Wilde has exerted,which includes the over-popularity of The Happy Prince as a literary cannon and the imitations attempted by Chinese story writers,the emergence of imitations of Salomésuch as‘Pan Jinlian’which has taken a humanistic and feminist stance.The Conclusion offers an overview of the research findings of this thesis,pointing out that the translation and reception of Wilde in China from 1900-1940 is a process of canonization through localization,which serves as a case study of the active rewritings of foreign literary works during the first half of the 20^th century when the Chinese literature adopted a critical stance in the reception of foreign literature.