Translation and Criticism of Native Son in China
Abstract Native Son is a representative work of the famous African-American writer Richard Wright in the 20th century, regarded by some western critics as a milestone in American literature. Although this novel was first strongly criticized by many writers and critics, the real value of the novel has been recognized later. Since the novel was first introduced in China in, it has been approached by many Chinese scholars and critics. Shi Xianrong is the first one who translated Native Son into Chinese, and this Chinese version offered an access for more Chinese scholars to the reading and study of this novel. The thesis is a complete survey to the translation and criticism of the novel in China. The thesis consists of four parts. Part one is the introduction to Richard Wright and Native Son and the general academic attention to Native Son in China. Part two introduces Shi’s version and its influence. Part three summarizes the scholarship on Native Son in China pided into three periods and from eight perspectives. Part four makes an analysis why Native Son catches Chinese scholars’ attention and its influence on the development of Chinese literature.58287
Key words: Native Son; China; translation; criticism
摘 要《土生子》是20世纪美国黑人作家理查德·莱特的代表作。西方有的评论家认为只有在《土生子》出版之后,黑人文学才在美国文学中取得地位。小说发表初期曾备受争议,之后其价值才被逐渐认可。施咸荣最先于1982年将《土生子》译成中文,使《土生子》在中国得到越来越多的关注,中国学者对《土生子》的研究也日益增多。本篇论文是对土生子这本小说在中国的翻译及研究情况的调查与概述。本文共有四个部分,第一部分是对小说作者理查德·赖特与小说《土生子》的介绍;及小说在中国所受到的学术关注的大体情况;第二部分介绍了施咸荣的《土生子》译本及其影响;第三部分是根据三个时期和八个研究角度总结中国学者对这本小说的评论与研究;第四部分分析《土生子》为何能吸引中国学者的关注以及它对中国文学发展的影响。
毕业论文关键词:《土生子》;中国;翻译;研究
Contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction to Richard Wright and Native Son 1
1.2 The attention to Native Son in China 2
2. The translation of Native Son 3
2.1 The translation by Shi Xianrong 3
2.2 The value and influence of this translation 3
3. Criticism on Native Son in China 5
3.1 Criticism in three periods 5
3.2 Criticism from eight perspectives 6
3.3 Inadequacy of the previous studies 9
4. The influence of Native Son on Chinese literature 11
Conclusion 13
References 14
1. Introduction
1.1 Introduction to Richard Wright and Native Son
Richard Wright is one of the most outstanding writers in African-American literary history, and he has written many controversial novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction, much of which concerns racial themes, especially those involving the plight of African-Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. Wright was famous for his fictions, which include Uncle Tom's Children, The Man Who Was Almost a Man, Native Son, The Outsider, Savage Holiday, The Long Dream, Eight Men, Rite of Passage, A Father's Law. Wright gained national attention for the collection of four short stories entitled Uncle Tom's Children (1938), which improved Wright's status with the Communist Party and enabled him to establish a reasonable degree of financial stability.