A Study Of The Paratext Of The Russian Translation Of The 95th Edition Of Panasheuk’s Dream Of The Red Chamber

A shining star in the forest of Chinese and world literature,Dream of the Red Chamber was translated and widely disseminated overseas as early as the early 19 th century.As of 2017,Dream of the Red Chamber has been translated into 34 languages,including English,Russian,French and Japanese,resulting in 155 translations of varying length.The first Russian translation of Dream of the Red Chamber was an abridged translation by Alexei Kovanko,a member of a Russian mission to China,based on a fragment of the first chapter from a handwritten copy of Dream of the Red Chamber obtained in China by another missionary Pavel Kulliandtsev,which failed to present the work in its entirety.It was not until 1958 that the full Russian translation of Dream of the Red Chamber was published.The full translation was made by the famous Russian translator and sinologist V;adimir Panasheuk in collaboration with Lev Maenshikov.After a lapse of about half a century,Panasheuk and Igor Golubev worked together again,and a new Russian translation of the Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber was published in 1995,with many additional paratextual elements compared to the 58 th edition,a phenomenon that clearly deserves scholarly attention and study.Paratexts are textual elements that exist in the periphery of a text and serve a supporting function,such as prefaces,notes,illustrations,appendices,book reviews,etc.Translations of classical texts are generally rich in paratextual elements,which are used to clarify the original text or translation,to annotate cultural connotations or conceptual terms,to add images to explain the storyline,and to supplement and expand reading resources.It is clear from the paratextual elements that a variety of people,including translators,researchers,preface writers and publishers’ editors,are involved in the production of the translation and influence its reception.Therefore,the study of translations in conjunction with paratext can extend beyond the verbal level to examine various verbal or nonverbal forms of factors beyond the linguistic text,thus broadening the dimension of translation studies and enhancing the effectiveness of the transmission of Chinese texts in the translated language.Based on the paratextual theory proposed by Gérard Genette,this article analyses and studies the various paratextual elements of the Russian translation of Dream of the Red Chamber,mainly at the level of preface,commentary,postscript and images.The first chapter of the main text collates a large amount of literature to sort out the process of the emergence and development of paratextual theory,and to make a clear definition of the concept of paratext,while summarising the basic features of paratext,which are mainly displayed in five aspects: space,time,ontology,pragmatics and function.The study finds that in recent years many scholars at home and abroad have published a series of monographs or papers applying paratextual theory to translated texts,leading to the conclusion that the shift towards paratextual translation is unstoppable.The second chapter compares the functions of the four types of paratext contained in the Russian translation of the 95 th edition of Dream of the Red Chamber,based on the most essential functions of the paratext,which are to explain the intentions of the author of the preface,to effectively connect the content of the text,to interpret the historical and cultural context,to interpret the ideological and artistic essence,and to enhance the impact and dissemination of the work,and then to determine whether the paratext prepared and arranged by the author of the preface,the translator and the publisher or editor of the novel is worthy of future reference,whether it is acceptable to readers,and whether it promotes the dissemination of the translation and foreign cultures.The study found that the paratextual elements of the Russian translation of the 95 th edition of Dream of the Red Chamber generally fulfilled their basic functions,but inevitably there were some omissions and misunderstandings on the part of the translators in terms of cultural background knowledge,and some slightly inappropriate design and layout on the part of the publishers and editors.On the whole,the paratexts remain the best helpers in removing obstacles to the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the text.The third chapter explores and judges the various elements of the novel’s paratexts,and delves deeper into their valued attributes.Despite their marginal position,the paratexts give the text a rich aesthetic connotation,facilitate cultural integration after intercultural exchange in translation,and transmit historical facts related to the novel and its author.The paratexts of the Russian translation of the 95 th edition of Dream of the Red Chamber,whether in the form of prefaces,images or commentaries,all combine,to a greater or lesser extent,three values: aesthetic,cultural and historical.