This study approaches translation from the sociocultural perspective. I try to explain that the sociocultural approach can complement the existing translation researches. As I have indicated in the introduction, the existing domestic translation studies are primarily context-free. They usually reflect the linguistics-based thinking about translation and tend to focus on comparing translated texts along with source texts superficially. The contextless approaches are separated from the realities that translation occurs. Translation is not analyzed seriously and comprehensively in the contextless separateness.
Translation is not context-free. Translation is the practice of a sociocultural process. Translations are not produced under neutral conditions. Translatons are produced within the given temporal and spatial confines, which have their own sociocultural features and which are, in turn, embedded in a target culture. Translation takes place not in a vacuum in which two languages meet but, rather, in the sociocultural context of a target culture(Lefevere 1992b; Kang 2007; Tymoczko 2007; Bassnett 2014). Therefore, translation studies need to be proceeded from the top down, that is, from the sociocultural context to the aspect of phenomenon and text. And one of the most effective strategies for this is to bring a text across in a certain culture at a certain time. Translation has come of age(Lefevere 1992a: 11).
Drawing from this insight, this study analyzes the reception phenomenon of translation in Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』of Lu Xun’s novel and the degree of interconnection between translation and the canon of literature. In other words, by investigating the instance of how canon of literature is received through translation by some sociocultural contexts in Korea, the study aims to demonstrate that translation is itself reception of sociocultural process and to understand the aspect of translation phenomenon in Korea. 『The True Story of Ah Q』has been placed in the canons of literature in Korean society for long years.
Drawing on Lefevere’s rewriting theorization and tracing the main sociocultural factors that have shaped the reception of Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』, the study focuses on a comparative analysis of paratext reviews of Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』published in Korea. Issues discussed include the periodization of the reception of 『The True Story of Ah Q』, the explanation of the determining sociocultural factors that have shaped the reception, and the description of the divergent temporal and spatial reception phenomenon in Korean society. In rewriting theory, rewriting is shaped by two determining factors. The first determining factor is the predominent ideology in target culture, as a set of sociocultural beliefs on which people base their thinking. The second is the poetics that have become associated with the literary ‘standard’ at a certain time in target culture.
The following analysis of the reception of 『The True Story of Ah Q』is based not on the examination of actual translated texts, but on the paratexts of Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』, the metatext that supplement the literary work, such as the introduction, the review, the afterword, the summary, the paraphrase. Paratexts in the translated literary text, which act as powerful interpretive frames, offer important sociocultural insights into the conditions under which translations are received(Lee 2016).
The analysis draws on paratexts material published in Korea during the period 1972 to 2018. The data include not just literary reviews, but also general coverage dealing with Lu Xun’s biography and his literature. In total, the paratexts in 35 books of the Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』has been analysed into three different categories, which are the author Lu Xun’s image, the main theme of 『The True Story of Ah Q』and the symbol of the protagonist Ah Q.
For the purpose of systematic analysis, the reception of 『The True Story of Ah Q』in Korea society is divided roughly into two main periods, focusing on a temporal frame and providing a comparative perspective. The first period starts in 1972 and ends in 2000 in the publication of Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』. The second period starts in 2001 and ends in 2018.
The working hypothesis to explore the reception of 『The True Story of Ah Q』is that some ideological and poetological constraints would have served to construct the different pattern of reception for the work. After examining the data, I hypothesise that the ideological factor would have played a key role in the reception during the first period and the poetological factor would have an important influence on the divergent reception patterns in Korea society.
The first research question is what temporal elements of the sociocultural context of the Korea society are combined with the divergent reception patterns for 『The True Story of Ah Q』as the ideological and poetological constraints. Examination of the paratexts written in the Korean translations of 『The True Story of Ah Q』published during the first period, from 1972 to 2000, shows that the anticommunism and the nationalism of Korea society in those days had controlled and regulated the reception of the canon in the late 20thcentury. During the second period, from 2001 to 2018, in contrast with the first period, where the reception of『The True Story of Ah Q』shows a ideological reception, the reception of the work is influenced by the poetological factor. The poetics can be referred to as “postmodernization of the reception of literary canon”. Its three key aspects are the poststructuralistic interpretation of literary canon, the reflection of social reality in target culture and the growth of ‘second texts’ such as the review and the paraphrase in terms of reception of literary canon.
The second research question is how can the reception of『The True Story of Ah Q』be described to reveal the degree to which the ideological and poetological factors have been interiorized, specifically. During the first period, the empirical analysis of the paratexts illustrates that the reception can be characterized by the ideological and homogeneous reception of 『The True Story of Ah Q』. Firstly, the author Lu Xun is mainly described as antifeudalistic enlightening nationalist, separated from communism. Even though his image is introduced as the rebel nationalist and the pioneer of Modern Chinese literature in the 1980’s and the 1990’s, the predominant image of antifeudalistic enlightening nationalist associated with LuXun still has the continuity consistently during the late 20thcentury.
Secondly, the main theme of『The True Story of Ah Q』is primarily viewed as the strong criticism on “spiritual victory” of fellow Chinese in a half feudal half colonial society.
Thirdly, the symbol of Ah Q is mostly situated within a reception that he represents a typical Chinese figure who lives in feudal society. In most paratexts from 1972 to 2000, Ah Q is described as the crystallization of “spiritual victory.” Ah Q represents almost all of the Chinese people’s bad characters, including slavishness, forgettery, megalomania and hierarchy.
The analysis conforms that the crucial influence of anticommunism and nationalism on the reception of『The True Story of Ah Q』in Korea society during the first period. ‘The red LuXun’ image should be removed in the reception of his literature, leading to emphasize the image of his enlightening nationalist because of the oppressive influence of anticommunism. And the nationalistic and enlightening interpretation of『The True Story of Ah Q』becomes a main topic of the work. This may be said to coincide with the primacy of nationalism in Korea society during the late 20th century.
On the other hand, during the second period, from 2001 to 2018, the most noticeable feature of the reception of『The True Story of Ah Q』in the paratexts is the divergent interpretations of the author and the work.
Many paratexts introduces LuXun’s various images during this period, except for the antifeudalistic enlightening nationalist. LuXun is described a fine example of an intellectual person or an author who claims “spiritual revolution” in various way.『The True Story of Ah Q』becomes the object of various interpretations, evident in the paratexts. This development is accompanied by an increasing number of thematic accounts of the masterwork and symbolic accounts of Ah Q. The main theme is extended to the limitation of Xin Hai Revolution, the relation between revolution and revolutionary, and Ah Q’s distorted thinking about woman and so on, except for “spiritual victory.” The symbol of the Ah Q is also described as negative human characteristics, not just for Chinese or a colonized people in various ways. Especially, the reception of Ah Q as a prism for reading Korea society and Chinese society, distant from it in the late 20th century, could be seen as premature.
During the second period, the paratexts shows divergence of reception of the canon, which reveals the new reception patterns. The comparative analysis of the reception of『The True Story of Ah Q』in the early 21th century, confirms the important role of the poetics as “postmodernization of reception of literary canon” in facilitating divergent patterns of reception for literary canon through translation.
The third research question is how can the degree of interconnection between translation and literary canon be explained.
The study shows that translation is central to the status of literary canon. A translated literary work acquires the possibility of becoming a literary canon through the consistent translation in target culture. The study also confirms that translation of literary canon is a kind of reception by period. Literary canon is time and again received differently in the diverse sociocultural context through translation.
Above all, this study shows that the course of reception of literary canon through translation changes from ideological and limited interpretation to diverse and unlimited interpretation of the canon related to the reality in target culture in Korea society.
The findings in the study demonstrates that constant translation of literary canon is a dynamic process of sociocultural contexts, coupled with divergent reception among different ideologies and poetics. 『The True Story of Ah Q』’s case proves that translation contributes to the new interpretations and patterns of reception with which translated canons become associated in target culture.