Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Background of the study 1
1.2 Brief background information on the two translations and translators 3
1.3 Overview of research conducted on the translations of Sanguo Yanyi 7
1.4 Problem statement and focus 13
1.5 Research goal 15
1.6 Theoretical framework 16
1.6.1 Retranslation hypothesis 16
1.6.2 Linguistic approach versus functionalist approach 16
1.6.3 Domestication versus foreignization 17
1.6.4 Descriptive studies of the two translations 18
1.7 Research design and methodology 18
1.8 Chapter layout 22
Chapter 2 Discussion of the source text,Sanguo Yanyi 23
2.1 Introduction 23
2.2 How the first Chinese novel came into being 25
2.3 The structure and features of a traditional Chinese novel 29
2.4 The other novels 32
2.4.1 Shuihu Zhuan 32
2.4.2 Xiyou Ji 35
2.4.3 Honglou Meng 38
2.5 The source text,Sanguo Yanyi 42
2.5.1 The title,authorship and editions of the novel 43
2.5.2 Sources that the novel uses 50
2.5.3 The plot and style of writing 56
2.5.4 Fictitious changes to the historical facts 60
2.5.5 The structure 61
2.5.6 The characters 62
2.5.7 Sanguo Yanyi-related topics for study and the theme(s)of the novel 70
2.5.8 Adaptations 72
2.5.9 The influence 76
2.5.10 Research conducted on Sanguo Yanyi by Western scholars 80
2.5.11 Motivation for choosing Sanguo Yanyi as a focus of study 82
2.6 Conclusion 84
Chapter 3 The English translations and translators of Sanguo Yanyi 85
3.1 Overview of the translations of Chinese classics into foreign languages 85
3.2 Translations of Sanguo Yanyi into foreign languages other than English 89
3.3 English translations of Sanguo Yanyi 92
3.3.1 Abridged translations in journals and book chapters 92
3.3.2 Separate editions of the English translations of Sanguo Yanyi 95
3.4 The two complete English translations 97
3.4.1 Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor's translation 98
3.4.2 Roberts's translation 105
3.4.3 Reviews comparing both translations 116
3.5 The translators 118
3.5.1 Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor 118
3.5.2 Moss Roberts 133
3.5.3 Social and academic backgrounds and interests of the two translators 138
3.6 Retranslation hypothesis 141
3.6.1 Denotation of the concept 141
3.6.2 Theoretical assumptions on retranslation 142
3.7 Roberts's translation of Sanguo Yanyi as a retransla-tion 147
3.8 Conclusion 151
Chapter 4 Literature study 153
4.1 Linguistic approaches in TS 154
4.1.1 Nida:Theory of"equivalences" 155
4.1.2 Catford:Formal correspondence and textual equivalence 160
4.1.3 Peter Newmark:Semantic and communicative translation 161
4.1.4 Neubert's"top-down model"—a textual pespective on translation 165
4.2 Descriptive translation studies(DTS) 167
4.2.1 Holmes's scheme of the discipline 169
4.2.2 Polysystem theory 172
4.2.3 Toury's DTS 177
4.2.4 Theory of rewriting 183
4.3 Domestication and foreignization 186
4.3.1 Venuti 187
4.3.2 Domestication 189
4.3.3 Foreignization 190
4.4 Conclusion 191
Chapter 5 A descriptive study of the two English translations of Sanguo Yanyi 192
5.1 Methodology of describing translations 193
5.1.1 Josè Lambert and Hendrik van Gorp's model of describing translations 194
5.2 A comparison between the two translations 194
5.2.1 Preliminary data 195
5.2.2 Macro-level structures 207
5.2.3 Micro-level comparisons 250
5.2.4 Systemic context 267
5.3 Conclusion 271
Chapter 6 Conclusion 272
6.1 General findings 273
6.1.1 Translation means variation 274
6.1.2 Translation approaches and strategies 276
6.2 Translation norms and laws 279
6.3 Different readerships for the English translations of Sanguo Yanyi 280
6.4 Further topics for research 283
Bibliography 286
Addenda 302
Addendum A:Covers of some of Brewitt-Taylor's translation of Sanguo Yanyi 302
Addendum B:Covers of someof Roberts's translation of Sanguo Yanyi 303
Addendum C:The article by E.T.C.W that appeared in Peking ＆ Tientsin Times 305
Addendum D:Idioms collected in the selected chapters 307
Addendum E:Titles,ranks and offices in the selected chapters 309