Foreword by Douwe Fokkema
Acknowledgments
A Brief Introducti on of Shunqing Cao
1 Major Contributions of Influence Study and Its Weaknesses .............. 1
1.1 The Origins of Comparative Literature
in Europe and Its Dead Ends .............................................................. 1
1.1.1 The Beginning of Comparative Literature in Europe ............ 1
1.1.2 Comparative Literature in Britain .......................................... 3
1.1.3 Comparative Literature in Germany ...................................... 4
1.1.4 Comparative Literature in Italy .............................................. 5
1.1.5 Comparative Literature in Russia .......................................... 6
1.1.6 Comparative Literature in France .......................................... 7
1.2 The Major Contribution of the French School: Founding
of the First Phase of the Disciplinary Theory
of Comparative Literature .................................................................. 8
1.2.1 The Shaping of the French School ......................................... 9
1.2.2 The Birth of Comparative Literature as an Independent
Discipline and the Formation of Theories
of Comparative Literature ...................................................... 10
1.2.3 Three Cornerstones of Theories
of Comparative Literature ...................................................... 11
1.3 “History of Literary Relations”: The Merits
of Positivism and Its Weakness .......................................................... 23
1.3.1 The Characteristics of Theories of the French
School: Positivism of International Literary Relations .......... 23
1.3.2 Criticism from the American School:
Ambivalence of Positivism Versus Aesthetics ....................... 25
1.3.3 Internal Puzzles of the French School:
Ambivalence of Positivism Versus Imagology ...................... 27
1.3.4 Challenges in Cross-Cultural Contexts:
Variation Everywhere ............................................................. 30
Contents xiv
1.4 Essence of Infl uence Studies: Coexistence
of Positivism and Variation ................................................................ 32
1.4.1 Essence of Infl uence Studies: The Method
of Positivism and the Phenomenon of Variation .................... 32
1.4.2 Case Study on Coexistence of Positivism and Variation:
Exploration of Variation in Literary Communication
Between China and Japan ...................................................... 35
1.4.3 Chinese Orphan: The European Variation
of “Orphan of the Zhao Family” ............................................ 39
1.5 Important Breakthrough in Comparative Literature:
The Shaping of Variation Theory ....................................................... 43
1.5.1 The Shaping of Variation Theory ........................................... 43
1.5.2 The Scope of Infl uence Studies of Variation.......................... 47
1.6 Two Sustainable Points of International Literary
Relations: That of Positivism and That of Variation .......................... 52
1.6.1 “International Literary Relations”
from the Positivistic Perspective ............................................ 52
1.6.2 Limitations of Positivistic Study of “International
Literary Relations” and Its Challenges .................................. 53
1.6.3 The Other Pillar of “International Literary
Relations”: Relations of Variation ......................................... 55
References ................................................................................................... 59
2 Major Contributions of Analogy Study and Its Deficiencies ................ 63
2.1 Major Contribution of Analogy Study ............................................... 63
2.1.1 Contribution of Analogy Study and Its Characteristics ......... 64
2.1.2 Problems of Analogy Study in Practice ................................. 66
2.1.3 Contents of Analogy Study .................................................... 68
2.1.4 Analogy Study in the Perspective of Variation Theory .......... 69
2.2 Defi ciencies of Analogy Study .......................................................... 73
2.2.1 Western-Centrism and Orientalism ........................................ 73
2.2.2 Universal Truth and Heterogeneous Civilization ................... 75
2.2.3 Defi ciencies of Analogical Comparison:
Ignorance of Heterogeneity.................................................... 77
2.3 Elucidation and Variation in Analogy Study ..................................... 81
2.3.1 Interpretation and Variation ................................................... 81
2.3.2 Variation in Analogy Study .................................................... 85
2.3.3 Evaluation of Variation in Analogy Study ............................. 88
2.4 Discourse Variation in Analogy Study ............................................... 91
2.4.1 Spatial Variation: Origin of Discourse
Variation in Analogy Study .................................................... 91
2.4.2 Illustrative Approach and Spatial Variation ........................... 93
2.4.3 Aphasia and Variation Theory ............................................... 94
References ................................................................................................... 97
Contentsxv
3 The Variation Theory in Cross-Language Context ................................ 101
3.1 Literary Translation: From Faithfulness, Expressiveness,
and Elegance to Creative Treason ...................................................... 101
3.1.1 Original Intention: The Seeking of Equivalence
in Patterns of Faithfulness, Expressiveness,
and Elegance .......................................................................... 101
3.1.2 Bewildering: Phenomena of “Intention
Beyond Language” and Utopia of Equivalence ..................... 104
3.1.3 The Way Out: Harmony Without Being
Identical and Emphasis of Heterogeneity .............................. 106
3.2 Non-translatability and the Inevitability
of Variations in Literary Translation .................................................. 109
3.2.1 Literature Review: Debate and Research
on Non-translatability ............................................................ 110
3.2.2 Non-translatability in Two Philosophical Paradigms ............. 111
3.2.3 Non-translatability and the Inevitability
of Variations in Literary Translation ...................................... 117
3.3 The Cross-Language Variation Between Western
Languages and Chinese...................................................................... 119
3.3.1 Heterogeneity Between Western Languages
and Chinese and Their Equal Status ...................................... 119
3.3.2 Shift Between Western Languages
and Chinese in Translation ..................................................... 125
3.4 The Variation Theory in Translation: Medio-translatology ............... 130
3.4.1 Translation Study and Variation
in Cross-Language Context .................................................... 130
3.4.2 Birth of Medio-translatology ................................................. 132
3.4.3 Difference Between Medio-translatological
Study and the Traditional Study of Translation ..................... 133
3.4.4 The Core of Medio-translatological Study:
Creative Treason .................................................................... 134
3.4.5 Transmission of Cultural Images and Mistranslation ............ 136
3.4.6 Medio-translatology and Literary Variation Theory .............. 137
3.5 Case Study on Cross-Language Variation
Among European Languages ............................................................. 138
3.5.1 “Translation Is Interpretation” ............................................... 140
3.5.2 Signifi cance of Cross-Language Variation............................. 143
3.6 Case Study on Cross-Language Variation
Between European Languages and Chinese ...................................... 145
3.6.1 Domestication ........................................................................ 145
3.6.2 The Variation of the Second Time ......................................... 149
3.6.3 Variation in Images ................................................................ 151
3.6.4 Variation in Translation of Idioms ......................................... 153
References ................................................................................................... 155
Contentsxvi
4 Cross-Cultural Variation Theory ............................................................. 159
4.1 Cultural Filtering and Literary Variation ........................................... 160
4.1.1 Social Context ........................................................................ 162
4.1.2 Linguistic Translation ............................................................ 164
4.1.3 Traditional Culture ................................................................. 167
4.1.4 Recipient’s Individual Acceptance Screen ............................. 170
4.2 Literary Misreading and Literary Variation ....................................... 173
4.2.1 Conceptual Generation and Research Diversion
of Literary Misreading and Literary Variation ....................... 173
4.2.2 The Reason for Literary Misreading
and Literary Variation ............................................................ 176
4.2.3 The Value and Dynamic Formation of Studies
on Literary Misreading and Literary Variation ...................... 177
4.3 The First Establishment of Cross-Cultural Variation
Theory: The Theory of Imagology of Comparative Literature .......... 179
4.3.1 Defi nition and Characteristics ................................................ 180
4.3.2 Past and Present ..................................................................... 183
4.3.3 Theories and Methods ............................................................ 188
4.3.4 Issues and Refl ections ............................................................ 192
References ................................................................................................... 193
5 Cross-Civilization Variation Theory ........................................................ 195
5.1 The Emergence of the Clash of Civilizations
and Cross- Civilization Variation ........................................................ 195
5.1.1 Samuel Huntington: The Clash of Civilization
and Cross-Civilization Studies ............................................... 197
5.1.2 Edward Said: The West and East in the Field
of Postcolonial Literary Theory ............................................. 199
5.1.3 Tu Weiming: The Discourse Between
Neo-Confucianism and Civilizations ..................................... 201
5.2 Cross-Civilization: From Blind Spot to Focal Point .......................... 206
5.2.1 The Neglect and Contempt of the Early
Western Civilization to the Oriental Civilization ................... 206
5.2.2 Ulrich Weisstein’s Hesitation of Exceeding
the Limits of Civilization ....................................................... 209
5.2.3 From Bias to Dialogue Between Civilizations ....................... 213
5.3 The Rise of Cross-Civilization Studies
in Comparative Literature .................................................................. 214
5.3.1 The Product of the Clash of Civilizations:
Early Comparative Literature of China .................................. 214
5.3.2 The Variation and Distortion
of the Clash of Civilizations................................................... 216
5.3.3 From “Illustrative Study” to “X + Y”: The Diffi cult
Development of Chinese Comparative Literature .................. 220
5.3.4 The Emergence of “Aphasia” and the Rise
of Cross- Civilization Studies ................................................. 223
Contentsxvii
5.4 The Heterogeneity of Civilization and the Variability
of Comparative Literature .................................................................. 225
5.4.1 The Universality and the Uniqueness of Civilization
(Commensurability and Incommensurability) ....................... 225
5.4.2 The Theoretical Transformation of Comparative
Literature: The Transformation from the Sameness
(of Homogeneity, of the Same Kind) to Variability
(the Heterogeneity and Complementarity
of Civilization) ....................................................................... 229
5.4.3 Mutual Elucidations and Variations
Among the Literatures of Heterogeneous Civilizations ......... 233
5.5 The Heterogeneity of Cross-Civilization Literary
Theories and the Studies of Variation ................................................ 238
5.5.1 The Principles of Foreignization of Literary Theories .......... 239
5.5.2 The Study of Chinization of Western Literary Theories ........ 242
5.5.3 The Dialogue and Activation
Among Heterogeneous Literary Theories .............................. 246
References ................................................................................................... 250
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