Liao, Chia-hui (2011) A critical study of the reception and translation of the poetry of Wang Wei in English. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis explores how Wang Wei 王維(701-761), a Chinese Tang-dynasty
poet, was received and represented through the twentieth century in the
Anglophone world and what images of him different translators have created at
different times for different readers in the receiving context. Wang Wei, like
some of his contemporaries, notably Li Bo 李白(701-762) and Du Fu 杜甫
(712-770), is one of the most translated Chinese poets. The translation and
reception of Wang Wei’s poetry have been dominated by emphasis on imagery,
landscape, and Zen over the past one hundred years although his poetry also
includes other themes. The hypothesis is that Wang Wei was more discussed for
his contribution to Chinese landscape art at the beginning of the twentieth
century, then began to be connected with Zen Buddhism around the mid-century.
In the post-war period and beyond, his nature poetry associated with
eco-spirituality has been widely explored. Starting with an introductory chapter,
which explores critical debates about Wang Wei’s life and establishes a
theoretical framework based on systemic approaches, this thesis will discuss the
following elements chapter by chapter: classical Chinese poetry in English
translation, Chinese imagery traditions and the development of Imagism, Wang
Wei’s poetry about landscape and Zen, and difficulties of and patterns in
translating Wang Wei. The concluding chapter will stress that the sustainability
of Wang Wei’s poetry in English lies in its constant interactions with various
literary, political, and social factors in the polysystem of the target culture. Thus,
the translation of a foreign literary figure, like Wang Wei, goes beyond the
linguistic and takes into account contextual relationships.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PI Oriental languages and literatures
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Wang, Wei, 701-761 -- Translations into English -- History and criticism
Official Date:	January 2011
Dates:	Date Event January 2011 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Bassnett, Susan
Extent:	vii, 462 leaves : ill.
Language:	eng

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