英文摘要 |
Eileen Chang's 張愛玲 Mandarin and English translations of Han Bangqing's 韓邦慶 Sing-song Girls of Shanghai 海上花列傳 are among her most important works after her departure from Hong Kong for the U.S. in the 1950s. Their significance stems not only from the fact that annotated translations of Chinese classical novels are a literary form rarely seen in Chang's oeuvre, but also because these two translations have played an important role in the reception history of the late-Qing novel. This article examines how Chang re-interprets Sing-song Girls via her translations; in particular, how she advocates for the depiction of everyday life and focuses on the theme of love. It further investigates the transmission and reception of Chang's translations in the context of U.S. aid policy during the Cold War, and analyzes how westernized intellectuals have shaped the canonization of Sing-song Girls through their academic and critical networks. Going beyond the original text, Chang's translations, as well as paratextual elements like annotations, truncations and other relevant alterations, have worked together to add to the importance of translational practice in literary historiography and cultural exchange. |