Brigita Dimaviżienơ LITHUANIAN and TRANSLATED YOUNG
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VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY Brigita DIMAVIýIENƠ LITHUANIAN AND TRANSLATED YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE IN THE CONTEMPORARY LITHUANIAN LITERARY SYSTEM AS CONDITIONED BY HISTORICAL FACTORS: AN ANALYSIS USING POLYSYSTEM THEORY Doctoral Dissertation Humanities, Philology (04 H) Kaunas, 2016 1 UDK 821.172(091) Di-214 The dissertation has been prepared at Vytautas Magnus University in 2011–2015. The right for the joint doctoral studies was accorded to Vytautas Magnus University, Klaipơda University, Šiauliai University and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language on July 8, 2011 according to the decree of the Minister of Education and Science of Lithuania No. V-1019. Scientific supervisor: Dr. Habil. Milda Julija Danytơ (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Philology 04 H) ISBN 978-609-467-212-5 2 VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS Brigita DIMAVIýIENƠ ISTORINIǏ VEIKSNIǏ NULEMTA LIETUVIŠKA IR VERSTINƠ JAUNIMO LITERATNjRA ŠIUOLAIKINƠJE LIETUVOS LITERATNjROS SISTEMOJE: ANALIZƠ PAGAL ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR SISTEMǏ TEORIJĄ Daktaro disertacija Humanitariniai mokslai, filologija (04 H) Kaunas, 2016 Mokslo daktaro disertacija rengta 2011–2015 metais Vytauto Didžiojo universitete pagal suteiktą Vytauto Didžiojo universitetui su Klaipơdos universitetu, Šiauliǐ universitetu ir Lietuviǐ kalbos institutu (2011 m. birželio 8 d. Švietimo ir mokslo ministro Ƴsakymas Nr. V- 1019) doktorantnjros teisĊ. Mokslinơ vadovơ: prof. habil. dr. Milda Julija Danytơ (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) 4 Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to express my deep gratitude to my advisor Prof. Dr. Habil. Milda Julija Danytơ. It has been an honour to be her doctoral student. I appreciate all her contributions of time, ideas, enthusiastic encouragement and objective criticism. I am also thankful for the excellent example she has provided as a successful professor. I also take this opportunity to express my thanks to the reviewers at the department, Assoc. Prof. Irena Ragaišienơ and Dr. Jurgita Vaiþenonienơ, as well as I would like to thank my reading committee members Prof. Dr. Loreta Ulvydienơ and Prof. Dr. Roma Bonþkutơ, for their valuable remarks, which helped me in completing this thesis. In addition, I would like to thank the head of the English Philology department, Prof. Dr. Ingrida Eglơ Žindžiuvienơ for her assistance and support in all the stages of my study. Finally, I am especially grateful for my parents and brother for their understanding, faith, encouragement and belief in the pursuance of my aims. My special thanks also go to my husband for his patience and support during my doctoral studies. 5 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 8 2. The Tel Aviv Approach to Literary and Translation Studies: Itamar Even-Zohar’s Polysystem Theory 16 3. Historical and Theoretical Context: the Literary Systems in Soviet Russia, Soviet Lithuania and Independent Lithuania according to Polysystem Theory 27 3.1 The Historical Development of the Soviet Literary Polysystem: Rules and Restrictions on Literary Production, Including for Young Adults 27 3.2 The Imposition of a Soviet Polysystem on the Literary System of Soviet Lithuania: Limitations for Young Adult Fiction 36 3.3 Changes in Literary System of Lithuania after 1990: the Impact on Young Adult Fiction in Particular 47 4. Historical and Thematic Overview of Young Adult Fiction in Anglo-American Markets 54 4.1 Psychological Views of Identity Development during Adolescence 54 4.2 Historical Development of Young Adult Literature in Anglo-American Culture since the 19th Century 57 4.3 Characteristics of the Contemporary Young Adult Novel 62 4.4 Current Controversies over Topics in Anglo-American Young Adult Literature 66 5. Changes in Lithuanian Young Adult Literature since the Re-Establishment of Independence: New Lithuanian Novels for Young Adults 69 6. The Entry of New Subjects into Lithuanian Literary System: Analysis of Six English- Language Young Adult Novels Translated into Lithuanian 89 6.1 Trends and Issues in Translated Novels for Young Adults 89 6.1.1 New Teen Versions of Novels about Love and Consumer Culture: Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl Series 90 6.1.2 The Rise of Teen Dystopian Fiction: Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Series 101 6.2 Taboo Social Issues in Problem Novels for Young Adults 111 6.2.1 Presenting Sex as an Issue in Problem Novels: Melvin Burgess' Comic Doing It and Laurie Halse Anderson's Psychological Speak 111 6.2.2 New Ways of Presenting Teen Suicide in Problem Novels: Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why and Carmen Rodrigues’ 34 Pieces of You 130 6.3 Translation as a Form of Resistance to English Language Norms in the Lithuanian Versions of Young Adult Novels: the Examples of the Translation of Taboo Language 144 6.3.1 Typical Translation Strategies in Dealing with Taboo and Vulgar Language 145 6.3.2 The Lithuanian Translations of Swearwords, Sexual Activities and Vulgarities in Melvin Burgess’ Novel Doing It and Cecily von Ziegesar’s Series Gossip Girl 147 6 7. CONCLUSIONS 161 Primary Sources 166 List of References 167 Appendices 180 Appendix A Plot Summaries of the Selected Novels for Young Adults 180 Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak (1999) 180 Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) 180 Melvin Burgess’s Doing It (2003) 181 Kristina Gudonytơ’s Blogos Mergaitơs Dienoraštis (A Bad Girl’s Diary) (2009) 181 Vytautas Raþickas’s Nebaigtas Dienoraštis (Unfinished Diary) (2008) 181 Carmen Rodrigues’ 34 Pieces of You (2012) 182 Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (2008) 183 Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl (2003) 183 7 1. INTRODUCTION Although there have always been young people in the transitional stage between childhood and adulthood, in English-speaking countries the term adolescence was not used by psychologists until the twentieth century and the perception of adolescents as distinct grew only after the Second World War. The notion of novels specifically for young adult readers came earlier: it goes back in English-speaking countries to the nineteenth century. Still, it has only been since the later decades of the twentieth century that publishers have started producing such fiction in large quantities and literary critics begun to take an interest in this field. The distinct nature of young adult fiction will become clearer in subsequent pages, but a general notion of the features of such novels can be provided, based on the work of several critics (Latrobe and Drury 2004, Cole 2009, Waller 2009, Donelson 2009, Cart 2010). First of all, the protagonist or protagonists in novels for young adults are adolescents, as are most of the secondary characters. In some cases adults may play significant roles in the stories, but they may also be practically absent. Usually, the teen characters have to solve their problems largely without adult help. Second, although the plot may concern almost anything, it is most likely to include actions and events that affect the development and identity of the adolescent protagonists. Third, a number of the thematic issues that interest teenagers, from concern with one’s appearance and body, independence from parents, fitting in with friends, and early sexual experiences and love are the subject of these novels. Finally, though this is not essential, many of the writers of these novels imitate the current language of teenagers to a greater or lesser extent. Other aspects of this fiction are varied; teen fiction today includes a wide range of sub- genres from romance, crime stories, horror stories, dystopian narratives and fantasy. The principal focus of this dissertation is to consider the present situation of young adult fiction in Lithuania in the framework of historical changes in the country that have restricted or permitted the growth of novels specifically aimed at adolescent readers. In general, recent young adult fiction available for Lithuanian teenagers is largely translated from Western languages, especially from American and British English. The number of novels created by Lithuanian authors is limited and with some exceptions, not as popular as the translated texts. In Sections 5 and 6, examples of the most widely read novels originally written in Lithuanian and of those translated from English are analyzed with consideration of the features usual to contemporary young adult fiction as well as to thematic and genre concerns. However, the intention of the author of the dissertation goes beyond analysis of specific novels to an attempt to explain their occurrence within a historical, social and commercial context. The theories developed by specialists in the Tel Aviv school of literary and translation 8 studies, in particular those of Itamar Even-Zohar, have been chosen because they emphasize considering literary texts in what is called a literary system, with its various players that in different cultures and periods have differing degrees of power. In the case of the Lithuanian system after the re-establishment of independence, this requires going back analytically to the literary system that existed in Lithuania under communist occupation from 1944 to 1990. However, since the Soviet Lithuania literary system replicated the Revolution in Russia, some attention has to be paid to the features of the Soviet Russia system. Therefore, the object of this dissertation is to present the current situation of young adult fiction in Lithuania, including an analysis of selected novels, both original and translated, within a historical context that is interpreted by using Even-Zohar’s theory. Relevance of the topic This topic is particularly relevant since in Lithuania critical attention to Lithuanian and translated young adult novels is still modest. On the contrary, in the past two decades, young adult fiction has been widely discussed by Anglo-American literary and cultural critics such as Michael Cart (2010), Carl M. Tomlinson and Carol Lynch-Brown (2007), Robyn E. Howell (2011), Janet Alsup (2008), Cecelia Goodnow (2007), Betty Marcoux (2004), Brandon Peat (2010) and others. In Lithuania, literature for younger children has often attracted more interest as it seems more varied to Lithuanian literary scholars and critics.