Abstract:

The Chinese Literature Press (CLP) was a government-sponsored project to translate texts by Chinese writers. This paper examines the selection criteria used by the CLP in translating texts by Chinese female writers after 1979. It highlights the project’s efforts in promoting a desired image of the contemporary Chinese woman and contributions of presenting a variety of images to the Anglophone world. It also discusses discrepancies between the ideal image that the project intended to promote and what was more likely conveyed. From an imagology perspective, this paper illustrates how the anthologies convey greater diversity in Chinese women than do Western stereotypes and from a gender perspective, how the representation of the ideal Chinese women diverges from that expected. Manifold and close-to-life images of Chinese women, in particular of working and of urban women, were illustrated as the CLP aimed to demonstrate the positive transition of women’s status following the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Paradoxically, some female figures in the anthologies still have a subordinating mentality in spite of their economic independence, reflecting the CLP’s ignorance within a male-centric ideology to the importance of women’s psychological freedom. This paper sheds light on literary Chinese to English translations and discusses ongoing concerns particular to the representations of females and the promotion of Chinese culture overseas.

Keywords: Chinese Literature Press; anthologized English translation; text selection; women writers; images of Chinese women

摘要：

本文聚焦1979年以来中国文学出版社所推出女作家作品英译合集的选材问题,从形象学视角探讨中国文学出版社通过选材所构建的中国女性形象与西方固有刻板印象相比有何进步;从性别研究视角探讨其实际构建和试图构建的中国理想女性形象之间有何悖论,以彰显其贡献和不足,为未来中国的对外译介行为提供借鉴。中国文学出版社的贡献在于：其本着民族本位意识,力图展现中国新时期现实社会形形色色的女性形象,尤其侧重呈现城市普通女性形象,有助于弥补英语世界对中国女性片面化、类型化塑造的缺陷;不足之处在于：其对中国理想女性的形象构建呈现双重标准：部分入选作品力图呈现获得解放、走向社会、独立自主的积极正面的中国女性形象,另一部分作品则在赞扬或神化的外衣下无意中宣扬了符合男权价值标准和审美观的女性形象。

关键词: 中国文学出版社, 英译合集, 选材, 女作家, 中国女性形象