Changing Approaches to Interpretation
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CHANGING APPROACHES TO INTERPRETATION: TWENTIETH CENTURY RE-CREATIONS OF CLASSICAL CHINESE POETRY ROSLYN JOY RICCI 2006 Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Arts Chinese Studies Centre for Asian Studies School of Social Science University of Adelaide September 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………………………………………….....i TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………………………… iv DECLARATION …………………………………………………………………………………………….. v ACKOWLEDGENMENTS …………………………………………………………………………………. vi INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Plan and Problem …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1 Thesis and Questions ………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Significance ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Definitions of Terminology ………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Methodological Approach …………………………………………………………………………………… 7 Scope of Thesis ………………………………………………………………………………….................... 8 Context for Focus ……………………………………………………………………………………............ 9 Specific Tensions for the Genre ………………………………………………………………………….... 17 Anticipated Outcomes ……………………………………………………………………………………... 25 1 POUND AND WALEY: SETTING THE SCENE …………………………………………………….. 26 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 26 Pound: The Early Years …………………………………………………………………………………… 27 Waley’s Way ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 50 Comparative Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………… 61 Significant Influences ……………………………………………………………………………………… 70 Recapitulation ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 77 2 BURTON WATSON AND GARY SNYDER ………………………………………………………….. 81 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………….... 81 Watson’s Way ………………………………………………………………………………………............. 82 Snyder: Beat of the Wilderness ……………………………………………………………………………. 85 Snyder, Watson and Tang Poetry ………………………………………………………………………….. 88 Han-shan: Eccentric Tang Poet …………………………………………………………………………..... 90 Watson and Snyder Re-Create Han-shan ………………………………………………………………….. 95 Significant Influences …………………………………………………………………………………….. .103 Recapitulation …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 111 ii 3 ORIENTALISM AND WORLD POETRY …………………………………………………………… 113 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 113 Theoretical Challenges for the Genre …………………………………………………………………….. 114 James J.Y. Liu ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 117 Stephen Owen …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 127 The Possibility of World Poetry ………………………………………………………………………….. 134 Comparative Study: Liu ands Owen ……………………………………………………………………… 144 Publishing Patterns ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 149 Recapitulation …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 151 4 THE MILLENNIUM MILESTONE …………………………………………………………………... 156 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 156 Pauline Yu: The Shifting Sands …………………………………………………………………………... 157 Haun Saussy: Translator as Artist ………………………………………………………………………... 172 Poetic Montage: Returning to Cultural Roots ……………………………………………………………. 186 Comparative Analysis: Poetic Montage ………………………………………………………………….. 192 Recapitulation …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 197 CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 201 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 201 Reviewing Significant Contributions …………………………………………………………………….. 201 Common Factors Affecting Interpretation ……………………………………………………………….. 209 Summary of the Twentieth Century ……………………………………………………………………… 218 APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………………………………… 220 A. Wai Lim Yip 1969, Ezra Pound's Cathay ………………………………………………… 220 B. Waley ‘Ode 270’ and Pound ‘Ode 54’ ……………………………………………………. 221 C. Arthur Waley 1961, postscript …………………………………………………………….. 222 D. Burton Watson letter ………………………………………………………………………. 223 E. Gary Snyder email …………………………………………………………………………. 225 F. James J.Y. Liu 1962, ‘Painter Hawk’ and Stephen Owen 1981 …………………………… 226 G. Stephen Owen email ……………………………………………………………………….. 227 H. Pauline Yu email …………………………………………………………………………… 228 I. Haun Saussy email …………………………………………………………………………. 229 J. Kang-i Sun Chang email …………………………………………………………………… 230 K. Eliot Weinberger and Octavio Paz 1987 …………………………………………………… 231 BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………………………………... 234 CONFERENCE PAPERS ……………………………………………………………………………... … 256 iii ABSTRACT This thesis explores changes in approaches to the interpretation of the genre of classical Chinese poetry re-created as English poetry during the twentieth century. This genre, produced by two literary cultures – Chinese and English – is subjected to critical scrutiny in both its original and re-created forms and this study discusses the extent to which critical theories resulted in shifts in the interpretive approaches of twentieth century translations of the genre. Interpretive changes are exposed by comparative analysis of publications of the genre by Ezra Pound and Arthur Waley, Burton Watson and Gary Snyder, James J. Y. Liu and Stephen Owen and Pauline Yu and Haun Saussy. This involves a discussion of how their formative years, environmental factors and critical pressures influenced their approaches to interpretation of the genre. The study found that changes to interpretative approaches for the genre rested on two key experiences of translators and readers. Primary influences – family, education and personal pursuits – did affect interpreters of the genre but secondary influences – critical theories, literary trends, political, religious and social movements – had greater impact on interpretive change. Isogesis, an unavoidable factor of cultural interpretation, insidiously influenced how the genre was interpreted and that the increased use of montage and anthology late in the twentieth century attempted to reduce the effect of isogesis and, even more importantly, returned the genre to its cultural roots, the Shijing, the earliest Chinese classical anthology of poetry. This study illustrates three areas of importance. Firstly, it shows that biographical and environmental factors affecting translators caused shifts in approach to interpretation of classical Chinese poetry re-created as English poetry. Secondly, choices of what to re-create and print – made by translators, editors and publishers – affect reader response to the genre. Thirdly and finally, it suggests the possibility that the interpretive approaches of these eight translators can be employed as poetic montage in the third millennium to reduce the effect of misinterpreting of the genre. iv DECLARATION This thesis contains no material that has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by any other person, except where due reference has been made in the text of the thesis. I give consent to this copy of my thesis, when deposited in the University Library, being made available for photocopying and loan. SIGNED: ______________________________ DATE: ___________________ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Assoc. Prof. John Makeham and Dr Songping Jin for their expertise and guidance during the writing of this thesis. I extend thanks to members of the Staff and Postgraduates of the Centre for Asian Studies, particularly Dr Gerry Groot, for their advice, support and encouragement during this research. To all of the translators who have kindly responded to my requests for clarification of their interpretive approaches I extend heartfelt thanks. To these professionals I shall always remain indebted. Phil Thomas must be thanked for his proofreading. Finally, I thank the Chinese Studies Association of Australia, School of Communication, Arts & Critical Enquiry at La Trobe University, the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University, the Asian Studies Association of Australia, the Cultural Studies Department of the University of Queensland and the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment for providing me with a forum in which to present papers based on research relevant to this thesis, for peer review. vi 1 INTRODUCTION Plan and Problem This introduction will state the problem, the thesis, questions to be addressed and why the topic is of importance to the wider body of Chinese literary scholarship. It will define terminology used, the methodologies employed, the scope of the thesis and its context. This work will explore the extent to which personal traits and passions, political conflict and social movements, critical theories and literary trends and limited choice affected the critical response of readers. It will consider how interpretation is shaped by contemporary critical influences, why this is more obvious in the work of some translators than others and in what ways it might affect the assumptions and questions that I formulate. Statement of the Problem During the twentieth century Western literary theory expanded rapidly, making texts subject to a greater degree of critical surveillance than ever before. As a genre received predominantly, although not solely, by a Western readership, classical Chinese poetry re- created as English poetry is subject to Western critical theoretical analysis. The interpretation of English renderings of classical Chinese poetry remained the domain of translators until the end of the nineteenth-century when critical theory insinuated itself into all spheres of art, including poetic translation.1 The incursion of critical theory into all spheres of culture, including literature, necessitates further research