“Rejuvenating China : the translation of Sir Henry Rider Haggard's juvenile literature by Lin Shu in late Imperial China” (Publication, 2013)
Year
2013
Text
Kwan, Uganda Sze Pui. Rejuvenating China : the translation of Sir Henry Rider Haggard's juvenile literature by Lin Shu in late Imperial China. In : Translation studies ; vol. 6, no 1 (2013). (Hagg1)
Type
Publication
Contributors (1)
Kwan, Uganda Sze Pui
(um 2012) : Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Mentioned People (2)
Haggard, H. Rider
(Wood Farm, West Bradenham, Norfolk 1856-1925 London) : Schriftsteller
Lin, Shu
(Minxian = Fuzhou, Fujian 1852-1924 Beijing) : Übersetzer
Subjects
Literature : Occident : Great Britain
/
References / Sources
Chronology Entries (2)
| # | Year | Text | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1904 |
Hagete [Haggard, H. Rider]. Aisilan qing xia zhuan. Lin Shu, Wei Yi tong yi. [ID D12115]. Lin Shu schreibt im Vorwort : "The people of Iceland were uncivilized. As I see it, both their men and their women were bellicose. If they feld humiliated, they would resort to sword and shield. Their acts seem not far from those of bandits, but in their tribes they had fathers and elder sons to dispense justice, which is similar to our ancient clan system. Though they did not reach the apex of civilization, they would never suffer any humiliation without taking revenge. Most of this book is about assault and robbery, which are far from civilized, but the speech and spirit in it are heroic. The reason that the translation is entitled The story of an amourous cavalier from Iceland is that it tells of the amorous affairs between a man and a woman, hence part of the title suggests the romantic substance of the novel ; however, my true intention is to tell the readers of the valour of the hero. The chivalrous trait of the hero is thus emphsized for the purpose of arousing my people from their lethargic sleep and spurring them on to vrave deeds." |
|
| 2 | 1904-1910 | Uganda Kwan : Lin Shu translated H. Rider Haggard 's works with a political purpose in mind. By contextualizing the translation background, analyzing the discourse by Lin Shu at the paratranslation level in his translations of Haggard's works and highlighting Lin's treatment of gender, Lin Shu appropriated Haggard's work to refresh the national imagination of China by means of a new allegory – the juvenile boy. Lin Shu adopted a gender-inclusive Chinese term, 'shao nian', to denote the notion 'juvenile'. Through his use of an ostensibly gender-neutral termin reference only to the young male protagonist, Lin Shu exploits and extends Haggard's colonialist politics into a discourse whose intention is to mobilize male Chinese readers to rejuvenate China. His aim was to persuade his audience that China was not a moribund nation despite repeated defeats by foreign powers, and that the country would soon be reborn as a young nation, full of energy, virility and possibilities. To understand Lin Shu's presumed intention, the historical context of Victorian Britain and the ideological importantce of juvenile literature of the kind written by Haggard are examined. Whether British or Anglophone audiences saw more in Haggard than simple adventure stories is unknown, but it is clear that Lin Shu understood their ideology. |