Marginalization, Violence and Sufferings in the Novels of Mo Yan
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Zhang Yimou Interviews Edited by Frances Gateward
ZHANG YIMOU INTERVIEWS EDITED BY FRANCES GATEWARD Discussing Red Sorghum JIAO XIONGPING/1988 Winning Winning Credit for My Grandpa Could you discuss how you chose the novel for Red Sorghum? I didn't know Mo Yan; I first read his novel, Red Sorghum, really liked it, and then gave him a phone call. Mo Yan suggested that we meet once. It was April and I was still filming Old Well, but I rushed to Shandong-I was tanned very dark then and went just wearing tattered clothes. I entered the courtyard early in the morning and shouted at the top of my voice, "Mo Yan! Mo Yan!" A door on the second floor suddenly opened and a head peered out: "Zhang Yimou?" I was dark then, having just come back from living in the countryside; Mo Yan took one look at me and immediately liked me-people have told me that he said Yimou wasn't too bad, that I was just like the work unit leader in his village. I later found out that this is his highest standard for judging people-when he says someone isn't too bad, that someone is just like this village work unit leader. Mo Yan's fiction exudes a supernatural quality "cobblestones are ice-cold, the air reeks of blood, and my grandma's voice reverberates over the sorghum fields." How was I to film this? There was no way I could shoot empty scenes of the sorghum fields, right? I said to Mo Yan, we can't skip any steps, so why don't you and Chen Jianyu first write a literary script. -
Mo Yan and Chinese Pastoral Literature
English Language, Literature & Culture 2016; 1(4): 53-57 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ellc doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20160104.13 ISSN: 2575-2367 (Print); ISSN: 2575-2413 (Online) Mo Yan and Chinese Pastoral Literature Eyup Saritas Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey Email address: [email protected] To cite this article: Eyup Saritas. Mo Yan and Chinese Pastoral Literature. English Language, Literature & Culture. Vol. 1, No. 4, 2016, pp. 53-57. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20160104.13 Received: September 1, 2016; Accepted: November 3, 2016; Published: January 5, 2017 Abstract: Novel laureate in literature since 2012, the prominent Chinese novelist Mo Yan was born and raised in a village in the province of Shandong. His works are often themed on rural life. Contrary to the case in Turkey, researches on rural life in China have advanced on a continuous basis since the 20s of the 20th century in China. This can be explained with the fact that primarily Mo Yan and Jia Pingwa, as prominent novelists in China, never stopped writing on villages, villagers and inner world of peasants that endeavoured to lead the life in the city as they did back in the village. In this brief research study, we try to discuss in what way Mo Yan touched on the pastoral literature in his works. Keywords: Mo Yan, Pastoral Literature, Red Sorghum, China that were born and studied in the village. 1. Introduction Pastoral Literature in China has a very special place in In the long history of agricultural civilization, literature has Chinese literature. -
The Role of Translation in the Nobel Prize in Literature : a Case Study of Howard Goldblatt's Translations of Mo Yan's Works
Lingnan University Digital Commons @ Lingnan University Theses & Dissertations Department of Translation 3-9-2016 The role of translation in the Nobel Prize in literature : a case study of Howard Goldblatt's translations of Mo Yan's works Yau Wun YIM Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.ln.edu.hk/tran_etd Part of the Applied Linguistics Commons, and the Translation Studies Commons Recommended Citation Yim, Y. W. (2016). The role of translation in the Nobel Prize in literature: A case study of Howard Goldblatt's translations of Mo Yan's works (Master's thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from http://commons.ln.edu.hk/tran_etd/16/ This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Translation at Digital Commons @ Lingnan University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Lingnan University. Terms of Use The copyright of this thesis is owned by its author. Any reproduction, adaptation, distribution or dissemination of this thesis without express authorization is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. THE ROLE OF TRANSLATION IN THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE: A CASE STUDY OF HOWARD GOLDBLATT’S TRANSLATIONS OF MO YAN’S WORKS YIM YAU WUN MPHIL LINGNAN UNIVERSITY 2016 THE ROLE OF TRANSLATION IN THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE: A CASE STUDY OF HOWARD GOLDBLATT’S TRANSLATIONS OF MO YAN’S WORKS by YIM Yau Wun 嚴柔媛 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Translation LINGNAN UNIVERSITY 2016 ABSTRACT The Role of Translation in the Nobel Prize in Literature: A Case Study of Howard Goldblatt’s Translations of Mo Yan’s Works by YIM Yau Wun Master of Philosophy The purpose of this thesis is to explore the role of the translator and translation in the Nobel Prize in Literature through an illustration of the case of Howard Goldblatt’s translations of Mo Yan’s works. -
Durham E-Theses
Durham E-Theses Rethinking Binarism in Translation Studies A Case Study of Translating the Chinese Nobel Laureates of Literature XIAO, DI How to cite: XIAO, DI (2017) Rethinking Binarism in Translation Studies A Case Study of Translating the Chinese Nobel Laureates of Literature, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12393/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 RETHINKING BINARISM IN TRANSLATION STUDIES A CASE STUDY OF TRANSLATING THE CHINESE NOBEL LAUREATES OF LITERATURE Submitted by Di Xiao School of Modern Languages and Cultures In partial fulfilment of the requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Durham University 2017 DECLARATION The candidate confirms that the work is her own and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. -
Craze for Mo Yan" and Cultural Teaching in International Chinese Education
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research (ASSEHR), volume 182 2018 2nd International Conference on Education, Economics and Management Research (ICEEMR 2018) Analysis on the Phenomenon of "Craze for Mo Yan" and Cultural Teaching in International Chinese Education Xu Xiang College of Humanities Xi’an Peihua University China 710125 [email protected] Abstract—In the view of globalization, it should pay much is more and more popular to spread Chinese literature overseas attention to spread Chinese culture in international Chinese including the works of Mo Yan which are widely translated education while imparting language knowledge. The and published in foreign markets and won many awards. Mo phenomenon of "craze for Mo Yan" has been formed in China or Yan himself also won Nobel Prize in literature in 2012. After even overseas since Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in lite rature . that, the phenomenon of "craze for Mo Yan" has been formed His works have become an extremely effective medium in in China and abroad. Under such background, Mo Yan's works cultural education. Through the interpretation of his works, this as a tool are very suitable to spread Chinese culture in paper analyzes the contents of native culture and literary vision international Chinese education. with global characteristics and discusses how his works to promote the spread of Chinese culture globally and the specific II. CHINESE FACTORS IN MO YAN'S NOVELS application in Chinese teaching, which is of great significance to study in the field of international Chinese education. Mo Yan is one of the most influential contemporary writers in China. -
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11853-9 — Disability in Contemporary China Sarah Dauncey Index More Information
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-11853-9 — Disability in Contemporary China Sarah Dauncey Index More Information Index 100 Reasons to Live (Huozhe de 100 ge liyou, possibility of, 3, 33 Qian Mindan), 172 provided through internal monologue, 93 risk and contradictory nature of, 94, 192 ‘A Corner in the Shade’ (Mei you taiyang de Ah Q, 116 jiaoluo, Shi Tiesheng), 112, 118–123 amputees, 17, 104, See also ‘The Amputee’; challenging discriminatory language, Wu Yunduo; Wu Zhizhong; Xu 119–120 Xuehui; Yin Shujun collective and individual anxiety, 119 An Angel with Broken Wings: In Conversation dehumanisation of disabled people, 119 with Life (Zhechi tianshi: yu shengming need for societal change, 133 duihua, Yin Shujun), 179 possibility of love, 121–123 animals, disabled people likened to, A Private Life (Siren shenghuo, Chen Ran), 99–100, 129 35 asexuality, 191 A Showdown with Death (Duijue sishen, Yin ‘At Middle Age’ (Ren dao zhongnian, Shen Shujun). See Yin Shujun Rong), 35 A Song of Triumph for Chairman Mao’s audience Proletarian Line on Public Health (Mao challenged to change attitudes and zhuxi wuchanjieji weisheng luxian de behaviours, 32, 112, 158 shengli kaige), 55–56, 91–92 disabled and non-disabled, 94, 191 A Tragic Life (Beiju shengya, BaiWei), 35 expectations and assumptions of, 109, A Treasury of Inspiration (Shouhuo gandong, 148 Wang Xinxian), 161 for revolutionary propaganda, 37–38, able-bodied gaze 45–46, 60 and the female body, 35, 130 for self-help guidance and expertise, othering of the disabled body, 100, 107, 167–171 129 for talent shows, 153–155 superiority and normalcy, 109, 192 for the ‘socialist spiritual civilisation’ ‘able-bodied people’ (jianquanren), 77, 144, campaign, 65, 68, 72–74 150, 162, See also ‘normal people’ invited to ‘stare’,71 ‘robust’ (jianquan) citizenry, 21 reassured of their superiority and able-bodiedness and able-mindedness, 17, ‘normalcy’, 94, 130, 132 19, 27, 94, 109 Auntie. -
Perspectives in Flux
Perspectives in Flux Red Sorghum and Ju Dou's Reception as a Reflection of the Times Paisley Singh Professor Smith 2/28/2013 East Asian Studies Thesis Seminar Singh 1 Abstract With historical and critical approach, this thesis examined how the general Chinese reception of director Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum and Ju Dou is reflective of the social conditions at the time of these films’ release. Both films hold very similar diegeses and as such, each generated similar forms of filmic interpretation within the academic world. Film scholars such as Rey Chow and Sheldon Lu have critiqued these films as especially critical of female marginalization and the Oedipus complex present within Chinese society. Additionally, the national allegorical framing of both films, a common pattern within Chinese literary and filmic traditions, has thoroughly been explored within the Chinese film discipline. Furthermore, both films have been subjected to accusations of Self-Orientalization and Occidentalism. The similarity between both films is undeniable and therefore comparable in reference to the social conditions present in China and the changing structures within the Chinese film industry during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Red Sorghum and Ju Dou are analogous, each received almost opposite reception from the general Chinese public. China's social and economic reform, film censorship, as well as the government’s intervention and regulation of the Chinese film industry had a heavy impact upon each film’s reception. Equally important is the incidence of specific events such as the implementation of the Open Door policy in the 1980s and 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. -
The Reclamation of Primitive Humanity in Red Sorghum (Name
The Reclamation of Primitive Humanity in Red Sorghum (Name Redacted) Snow College The Reclamation of Primitive Humanity in Red Sorghum 1 The Reclamation of Primitive Humanity in Red Sorghum Introduction Red Sorghum (1988) is a nationally acclaimed Chinese film from the 1980’s. It follows a woman through the latter half of her life, and depicts her journey toward overcoming her numerous trials as well as her gradual personal growth throughout the film. One significant aspect of the film is that it is based on the 1930’s and 40’s in China, when the Japanese caused upheaval and disaster for the Chinese people during their invasion of mainland China. More importantly, Red Sorghum has numerous symbolic scenes that add to the suggestive nature of the media. It deals with the connections between more sophisticated humanity and the primitive nature of man. This paper will focus on the subtle subtext in the film and the impactful subliminal messages that lie within (Sellnow, 2010). Red Sorghum impacts more than just the Chinese audience for which it was originally intended (Pitman 1992), and does much to forward the more intimate view of the connections between humanity and nature, as well as showing the basic nature of man. Red Sorghum Red Sorghum begins with the main character, Jiu'er, on her way to marry against her will. She appears to be complacent, although it is clear that she is unhappy with the arrangement. On her way to her future husband the sedan is stopped in the red sorghum that surrounds the house of her fiancé, and Jiu'er is nearly raped by a robber before the sedan carriers overcome him. -
Literary Production and Popular Culture Film Adaptations in China Since 1990
Cambridge Journal of China Studies 43 Literary Production and Popular Culture Film Adaptations in China since 1990 Yimiao ZHU Nanjing Normal University, China Email: [email protected] Abstract: Since their invention, films have developed hand-in-hand with literature and film adaptations of literature have constituted the most important means of exchange between the two mediums. Since 1990, Chinese society has been undergoing a period of complete political, economic and cultural transformation. Chinese literature and art have, similarly, experienced unavoidable changes. The market economy has brought with it popular culture and stipulated a popularisation trend in film adaptations. The pursuit of entertainment and the expression of people’s anxiety have become two important dimensions of this trend. Meanwhile, the tendency towards popularisation in film adaptations has become a hidden factor influencing the characteristic features of literature and art. While “visualization narration” has promoted innovation in literary style, it has also, at the same time, damaged it. Throughout this period, the interplay between film adaptation and literary works has had a significant guiding influence on their respective development. Key Words: Since 1990; Popular culture; Film adaptation; Literary works; Interplay Volume 12, No. 1 44 Since its invention, cinema has used “adaptation” to cooperate closely with literature, draw on the rich, accumulated literary tradition and make up for its own artistic deficiencies during early development. As films became increasingly dependent on their connection with the novel, and as this connection deepened, accelerating the maturity of cinematic art, by the time cinema had the strength to assert its independence from literature, the vibrant phase of booming popular culture and rampant consumerism had already begun. -
Review on Translation Studies of Red Sorghum Leyang Wang English Department, North China Electric Power University (Baoding), Baoding, China
Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences ISSN 2415-6256 (Print) Scholars Middle East Publishers ISSN 2415-6248 (Online) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Website: http://scholarsmepub.com/ Review on Translation Studies of Red Sorghum Leyang Wang English Department, North China Electric Power University (Baoding), Baoding, China Abstract: Since the publication of Red Sorghum: A Novel of China translated by *Corresponding author Howard Goldblatt, a great number of long and elaborate theses has sprung up. Leyang Wang Theoretically, many theoretical viewpoints have been employed to analyze this novel, but in a cumbersome jumble. On the aspect of the selection of linguistic Article History data, superficially distinctive linguistic units tend to be selected more frequently as Received: 01.10.2017 the research subjects, while those representing the unique style of the original text Accepted: 08.10.2017 are less likely to be comprehensively researched. Methodologically, subjective text Published: 30.10.2017 analysis method takes the upper hand, while only a few scholars employ the objective and exhaustive methods. DOI: Keywords: Red Sorghum, Howard Goldblatt, Mo Yan, translation 10.21276/sjhss.2017.2.10.12 INTRODUCTION Deeply influenced by the social realism of Lu Xun and the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mo Yan, Chinese contemporary novelist, represents a mysterious and transcendental world to the readers home and abroad. In his novels, stories are narrated in a unique style, full of subjective sensations and unconstrained imaginations. On October 11, 2012, he won the Nobel Prize in literature for his work that "with hallucinatory realism mergers folk tales, history and the contemporary". Mo Yan becomes the first Chinese writer who won this honor. -
Red Sorghum
. ‘ \ ¢- '6 ~~T)~ "Red Sorghum" < ) 1987 Z-L in) ;‘\'; director: Zhang Yimou starring: Gong Li Based.on the:novel Red Sorghun1by'Mo Yan (the novel has been.translated into English by Howard Goldblatt), this was the first major film directed.by Zhang Yimou, who had already achieved.a degree of acclaim as cinematographer for Chen Kaige's film "Yellow Earth" (1985). The novel was part of the "search for roots" (xungen) genre which emerged in China in the mid—l980s, partly, it is alleged, due to the influence of translations into Chinese fron1Latin.American.literature and also due to the example of the American.made—for t.v. mini—series "Roots". "Red Sorghunfl is also a prime example of the use of "Naturalism" in the films of nminland China's Fifth Generation filmmakers. It is narrated.by the voice of the grandson of its female protagonist who prefers to go by her informal nickname Lao Jiu ("Old Ninth" —— a homonym for "old wine" and also "The Ninth Category" —— a truncated form.of the term.of abuse applied.by Mao to intellectuals during the 1966-9 political campaign known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution). Beginning in the late 1920s with.Lao Jiu's marriage to Mr. Li, a leper (you. mafeno" binq de) who owns an isolated. distillery" at some unspecified rural location in north China which produces Gaoliang jig, a type of clear distilled.spirit, which the movie claims is red, we are shown her troubled trip via sedan chair to her marriage, in which she is shaken for the fun of it by disrespectful bearers and nearly kidnapped in the mysterious gaoliang fields by someone posing as the notorious bandit San Pao, translated in the subtitled version as "Baldy San". -
Howard Goldblatt's Translations of Mo Yan's Works Into English
207 Howard Goldblatt’s Translations of Mo Yan’s Works into English: Reader Oriented Approach NISHIT KUMAR Abstract This article examines the strategies followed by Howard Goldblatt, the official translator of Mo Yan while translating his works from Chinese into English. Mo Yan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012 and critics argued that it was Goldblatt’s translation that was mainly responsible for Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize in Literature. Though Mo Yan’s works in translation are available in various languages, it is Goldblatt’s version that has become most popular. Therefore, from the perspective of Translation Studies, it would be interesting to identify the techniques used by Goldblatt that make his translations so special. The present paper compares titles, structure, and culture-specific expressions in the original and its English translation to identify the strategies followed by Howard Goldblatt in translating Chinese literary texts. Keywords: Mo Yan, Howard Goldblatt, Chinese literature, Translation strategies. Introduction As an ancient civilization, China has rich literature spanning several millennia, touching upon a wide range of literary genres enriched by numerous creative writers. However, until the 1980s, modern Chinese literature was vastly under- represented within the purview of world literature and did not gain significant readership in other parts of the world. As a result, China has been seeking international recognition for its vast body of literature. The Chinese authors have been making an effort for the Nobel Prize in Literature from as far back as the 1940s. The failure and anxiety of not being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature led to an obsession in China, which DOI: 10.46623/tt/2021.15.1.no4 Translation Today, Volume 15, Issue 1 Nishit Kumar Lovell (2006: 2) has termed as ‘Nobel Complex.’ It is well- known that since its inception, it has been chiefly the authors writing in European languages who bagged the Nobel Prize in Literature.