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A Sociological Account of the Translation, Promotion and Reception of Jia Pingwa’s Feidu Outside China



Author(s)

SUN Huijun, LI Ying

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5313/2020.06.005

Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China

Feidu, a novel by Jia Pingwa, which is regarded as one of the most controversial fiction in China since 1993, has recently come back to the attention of the public in China because of the publication of its English version Ruined City: A Novel in 2016 in the US. The present paper intends to investigate the different receptions of the novel in China and in countries, like Japan, France, and America. Special attention is given to its translation, promotion, and reception in America on the basis of analyses of the para-texts of the English version, such as the preface of the translator, the promotional words on the part of the American publisher, the endorsement of literary scholars both at home and abroad, and the comments on it by critics. It is found that: (1) The novel was enthusiastically    accepted and highly acclaimed in France and Japan, which constitutes a sharp contrast with its reception among Chinese readers and scholars; (2) it got a chance to be translated into English and promoted to the readership    23 years after its publication owing to the efforts of “different agents”, among whom were the translator, the  editor, the publisher and many influential scholars both at home and abroad; (3) Goldblatt, rather than others, was finally chosen as the translator of the book on account of the cultural, social, symbolic, and economic capitals he possesses; and (4) the state-sponsored English translation and publication of the book in America was part of China’s effort of introducing its contemporary literature outside China. However, in its consecration in the dominant field of world literature, the novel met with obstacles, and its reception not very satisfactory. The authors of the present paper draw on sociological perspectives proposed by Pierre Bourdieu for an explanatory account of the phenomenon. In addition, Actor-Network Translation Studies (ANTS), a sociological framework for translation research proposed by Jonathan Stalling, is also introduced, and its important concepts turn out to have such explanatory power as to give us to a better understanding of the mechanism of literature translation and reception in a foreign culture.

Ruined City: A novel, English translation, Howard Goldblatt, agent, field, capital, ANTS

SUN, H. J., & LI, Y. (2020). A sociological account of the translation, promotion and reception of Jia Pingwa’s Feidu outside China. Philosophy Study, 10(6), 372-382.