英文摘要 |
Nami-ko (1898-1899) by the Japanese writer Tokutomi Roka (1868-1927)was extremely popular during Meiji Japan and was translated into numerouslanguages. The first Chinese translation of this sentimental melodrama was renderedin 1908 by Lin Shu (1852-1924) and his interpreter Wei Yi (1880-1932),and this Chinese version was an immediate success in the literary market.The major theme of Nami-ko is the conflict between conjugal affection and thefeudal family. Although Tokutomi condemns the feudal family which destroysthe romantic love between husband and wife, he takes the motherland to be therefuge of heartbroken lovers. This peculiar way of combining sentimental andpatriotic elements created a new type of romantic hero and influenced manyfuture “sentimental/patriotic” novels in modern China. The foremost attractionof Nami-ko to late Qing readers was its depiction of conjugal love and problemsbetween mother-in-law and daughter-in-law; however, Lin purposely ignoredthis side of the story, for the reason that he chose to translate this novel basedon his patriotic feelings. In Nami-ko, Tokutomi describes the Sino-Japanese War(1894) in detail, thus providing Lin with a wonderful opportunity to commenton the fiasco of the Qing navy and clear his Fujian soldiers' reputation. Interestingly,Lin argued that this melodrama, though written by a Japanese writer, couldhelp prove the Chinese soldiers' bravery. Taking full advantage of his translatorstatus, Lin promoted his ideas of military tactics and criticized the problems ofthe Qing government in his commentary in the translation. The complex interactionand contradiction between author intention, translator strategy, and readerresponse have made Lin Shu's translation of Nami-ko an intriguing and illuminatingcase for the study of late Qing literary translation history. |