Retranslation from the Perspective of Reception Theory -- A Case Study of Three Chinese Versions of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

Abstract

Benedict’s The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is a masterpiece of Japanese culture and contradictory character, and a must-read classic to understand Japan that has been sold in more than 100 countries and regions. Although there are rich Chinese versions of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, the retranslation studies against them are still relatively lacking. Based on reception theory, this thesis analyzes the characteristics, similarities and differences of three classical Chinese versions of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, and illustrates the complementarity between different translated versions and the necessity of retranslation. The aim is to provide a new perspective for the translation study of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword through the above analysis and emphasize the importance of retranslation of classical works.

This paper is mainly divided into four parts. The first part is the theoretical basis, including a brief introduction to the reception theory (representatives, their main ideas and limitations), and the study of retranslation under the guidance of the theory. The second part introduces the basic situation of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword and its Chinese versions. The third part, the focus of this thesis, makes a comparative analysis of three Chinese versions of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword from four aspects: words, phrases, sentences and stylistic styles through the methods of literature study, close reading and example analysis. The fourth part summarizes the differences and complementarity of three Chinese versions and emphasizes the importance of retranslation.

Key words: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword; reception theory; retranslation