| Author: | Leung, Chun Long |
| Title: | From religious apostasy to ideological activism : a case study of the translation of The Gadfly in China |
| Advisors: | Li, Dechao (CBS) |
| Degree: | DALS |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Department: | Faculty of Humanities |
| Pages: | 183 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The object of this study, The Gadfly, was first published in 1897 in the anglophone world. The story is set against Italy under the dominance of Austrian Empire amid the revolutionary zeitgeist of nineteenth-century Europe and touches upon such themes as religious faith, secular affection and political oppression. The protagonist, Arthur, and ultimately his father, Montanelli, experience a profound disillusionment with Christianity, a narrative that clashed with the conservative religious sentiments in the West at the time of its publication. Interestingly, although the publication and reception of the novel were inactive and tepid in the anglophone world, it gained institutional and popular currency in the Soviet Union and later in China, reflected in the numerous translations, re-translations and adaptations in literary, theatrical and cinematic forms. The first Chinese translation, published in 1953, coincided with significant political changes in China. The rendition was influenced by Russian versions of the novel, which omitted or modified religious elements to align with socialist ideology. In this study, four versions of Chinese translation published in contemporary China across a time span of more than sixty years were examined intratextually and paratextually, and at times extratextually, to reveal the tension between religious content and socialist realism in the literary works in their historical, cultural and political contexts. The analysis is theoretically grounded in Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), which aims to understand how translations are governed by norms influenced by cultural and ideological factors. The study has identified patterns of lexical shifts, intratextual omissions, paratextual additions and conceptual shifts that demonstrate the power dynamics of activism and resistance between publishers and translators in particular light of religious and broader ideological content. These findings show that the translations produced by the state publisher have used the identified linguistic devices to feed the story into the prevailing socialist ideology. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8789.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 4.71 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Copyright Undertaking
As a bona fide Library user, I declare that:
- I will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the Database.
- I will use the Database for the purpose of my research or private study only and not for circulation or further reproduction or any other purpose.
- I agree to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage.
By downloading any item(s) listed above, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the copyright undertaking as stated above, and agree to be bound by all of its terms.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/14345