A Comparative Study Of Poems Translation In The Two English Versions Of Xiyouji In Light Of Intertextuality Theory

Xiyou Ji,one of the four great classical novels in China,enjoys great literary status in Chinese literature.In Xiyou Ji,the number of poems reaches as many as 750,ranking first among all the four masterpieces in China.Nevertheless,the translation of these poems has deterred many translators.One of the most important reasons is that the poems themselves contain many intertextual references such as the words,phrases and sentences connecting this work with other Chinese literary works and culture,which are not easy for the translators to correctly identify and appropriately express in other languages.According to the intertextual categorization proposed by Fairclough:manifest and constitutive intertextuality,together with the types of expression forms of manifest intertextuality put forward and summarized by Sebeok,Cheng Xilin and Luo Xuanmin,the author makes a clear reading of the poems in Xiyou Ji and marks 166 intertextual references,of which 160 pertain to manifest intertextuality.Among the 160,41 intertextual references are from quotations,58 from allusions,56 as cliches and 5 show mixed characteristics.The remaining 6 of the total number belong to the genre and motif intertextuality in constitutive intertextuality.In the thesis,the English translations of some representative intertextual references in the poems of the original text Xiyou Ji are compared and analyzed according to the three principles of intertextual translation proposed by Luo Xuanmin in order to explore the handling and transformation of the intertextual references in the poems of Xiyou Ji by Anthony C.Yu and W.J.F Jenner to see whether their translations reflect the principles of intertextual translation.It is found that Anthony C.Yu identifies almost all the intertextual references from manifest and constitutive intertextuality between Xiyou Ji and Chinese literature and culture while W.J.F Jenner seems fail to identify intertextual references related to quotations,allusions and motifs in view of his translation.The two translators adopt different translation methods in dealing with the intertextual references.Anthony C.Yu mostly employs free translation and literal translation or with notes in appendix and cultural alternatives to express the intertextual references accurately.W.J.F Jenner frequently uses free translation and he literally translates the intertextual references he fails to identify.Anthony C.Yu's translation reflects the principles of relevance and neutralization of intertextual translation in poems,failing to fully embody the economic principle since excessive use of literal translation with notes in the translation affects reading coherence and reduces readers' interest in reading.W.J.F Jenner's translation embodies the principles of neutralization and economy without relevance because some intertextual references are mistranslated or his translation is inconsistent with the meaning the source text expresses.