4.1 Basic Translation Strategies    14
4.1.1 Domestication    14
4.1.2 Foreignization    15
4.2 Translation of Rhetoric Devices    15
4.2.1 Simile    15
4.2.2 Metaphor    16
4.2.3 Hyperbole    18
4.2.4 Personification    19
4.2.5 Irony    19
Chapter Five Conclusions    20
References    21
A Study of Translation of Rhetoric Devices in Character Description in Fortress Besieged
Chapter One Introduction
1.1 Purpose of the Study
The thesis is intended to study the translation of rhetoric devices based on the character description in Fortress Besieged and further explores the method about how to translate this kind of information.
Rhetoric devices are the secret weapons to polish up literature language. They enhance the persity of the description and enrich the expression. They are like a wizard to make a spell and change the flat world into grassy and mountainous dreamland. Qian Chung-shu is such a master that he can adopt many rhetoric devices in his novel and utilize them in character description. Fortress Besieged enjoying its abiding high reputation partly ascribes to the enriched rhetoric devices.
Character description plays an important role in every novel, of which all the characters are the hubs of the whole story. A bunch of characters pose a vivid picture of the story, even the society in that era through every move, minor face expression, word and so forth. Qian Chung-shu is adept in depicting characters and detecting the inner activities of every character to reveal the nature of human beings. Through the translation of rhetoric devices in character description in Fortress Besieged, English readers can have a eye feast of the specific language style of Qian Chung-shu.
1.2 Research Methodology
This thesis is conducted from the perspective of rhetoric devices translation based on character description in Fortress Besieged. Thus the basic information about rhetoric devices, character description, and translation strategies is prominent. At last, detailed analysis is conducted based on Fortress Besieged.
1.3 Introduction of the Author and Fortress Besieged
Qian Chung-shu is one of the greatest writers in 1920s, especially known for his satire style. He was born in Wuxi and raised up by his uncle, who gave his name, Chung-shu, literally meaning ‘fond of books’. The prospect finally came true when Chung-shu was enrolled in Foreign Language Department, Tsinghua University in 1929. He further nurtured his language talent and met his life-long wife--Yang Jiang. They were destined to meet because they shared the same appetites for literature. Then he went to Europe to study French, which took a hint in Fortress Besieged. During 1941 to 1946, he published some essays and stories. In 1947, Fortress Besieged was published and was a huge success. Later he focused on literary research and took charge of the translation of Mao’s works. Qian Chung-shu was a Chinese Leonardo and his subjects ranged from Chinese history, society, classic Chinese literature to western literature. During the ten-year Cultural Revolution, he came terms with harsh persecution just like other scholars. On December 19, 1998, he came to the end of his life in Beijing because of sickness.
Fortress Besieged had been completed from 1944 to 1946. The story was a mirror of Qian Chung-shu and Yang’s life abroad and in China. It enjoys a high reputation in many countries and is translated into many languages, including German, English, French, Japanese. Its title comes from the French proverb ‘Marriage is like a Fortress Besieged: those who are outside want to get in, and those who are inside want to get out’. The characters are trapped in Fortress Besieged and struggle to get out, however, the era they live in has decided who they are. 《围城》人物描写中修辞手法的翻译研究(2):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_24927.html