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Volume 16, Issue 3
  • ISSN 1932-2798
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Abstract

Abstract

This article presents a descriptive study of the English translations of the classic Chinese novel in the context of the Anglo-American literary censorship of obscenity in the twentieth century. By scrutinizing the strategies employed in the English translations of , this article uncovers the dynamic interactions between literary translation activities and the evolving socio-historical contexts in the target culture. The resurrection of the archaic source text, particularly its erotic component, in the Anglophone world in the twentieth century was based on the (re)discovery of its value in the contemporary target context. In the case of , equivalence at the linguistic and textual levels was simply not a concern of the translators and publishers, who had to decide how they would deal with the social reality of literary censorship, by submissively conforming to its demands, or by creatively confronting them.

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2021-02-05
2025-03-20

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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Jin Ping Mei; literary censorship; obscene publications; paratext; sexuality; translation strategy

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