Volume 9, Number 3

Reception Aesthetics in English Translations of Poetry From Hong Lou Meng: A Case Study of "Zang Hua Ci"

  Authors

Qingqing Yang and Tianyuan ZHU, Chengdu University of Technology, China

  Abstract

Chinese classical poetry is a valuable cultural asset, and effectively conveying the aesthetic effect of classical poetry in cultural exchange is crucial to the dissemination of Chinese poetic culture. The effect of the Western transmission of this classic work may be seen through the lens of receptive aesthetics. In order to investigate the reasons for their construction and how the translators’ translation tactics affect the readers’ reception, this study examines two English translations of Hong Lou Meng’s “Zang Hua Ci,” namely Yang Hsien-Yi’s and Hawkes’. The study finds that the translations, though not perfect, do their best to fit the readers’ expectation vision of the era, which enables the integration of the translator and the author, the target readers and the vision of the translation. To a certain extent, this is a good way to achieve the purpose of cross-cultural communication.

  Keywords

Hong Lou Meng, “Zang Hua Ci”, Reception Aesthetics, Poetry Translation