A Bourdieusean perspective on the genesis and development of the science fiction translation field in China (1891–1949) with special reference to translations of H.G. Wells’s science fiction

Abstract

The bulk of the thesis is a detailed analysis of the science fiction translation field in China between 1891 and 1949, conducted by exploring positions relevant to publication media, written languages and translation norms. This thesis argues that the development of the field consists of two phases. In the first phase (1891 to 1915), through the promotion of key agents (Timothy Richard and The Commercial Press), science fiction began to be translated and published in China, contributing to the genesis of the field, within which books, newspapers and magazines were publication media; Classical Chinese and translation norms inclined towards the target culture were dominant in the process of translation. With some agents (Bao Tianxiao) conforming to and some agents (Lu Xun and Chen Hongbi) challenging the norms that were formed before 1916, the science fiction translation field comes to the second developmental phase (1916 to 1949). With the outbreak of the May Fourth New Culture Movement in 1915, the field experienced dramatic changes: Written Vernacular Chinese and translation norms inclined towards the source culture dominated the field. Informed by Bourdieu’s sociological toolkits, this thesis highlights the social dimension of science fiction translation, the dynamics of the science fiction translation field in China and the way agents and translations interacted with this field. Case studies about Chinese translations of H.G. Wells’s science fiction are grounded in the description of the science fiction translation field. Through mapping the Chinese translations of Wells’s science fiction (The War of the Worlds and The Shape of Things to Come) in the science fiction translation field, this thesis reconstructs the process of translation and reception of Wells’s science fiction in China and highlights the dialectical relationship between the field and agents who participated in the translation and production of translations of Wells’s science fiction.

Date of Award	Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC)
Supervisor	Neil Sadler (Supervisor) & Sue-Ann Harding (Supervisor)