[New publication] Lintao QI. 2018. Jin Ping Mei English Translations: Texts, Paratexts and Contexts

Jin Ping Mei English Translations: Texts, Paratexts and Contexts
Lintao Qi

 

Link to the website: https://www.routledge.com/Jin-Ping-Mei-English-Translations-Texts-Paratexts-and-Contexts/Lintao/p/book/9781138481152

About this book:

This book investigates the English translations and adaptations of the sixteenth century classic Chinese novel Jin Ping Mei. Acclaimed the ‘No.1 Marvellous Book’ of the Ming dynasty, Jin Ping Mei was banned soon after its appearance, due to the inclusion of graphically explicit sexual descriptions. So far there have been more than a dozen English adaptations and translations of the novel.

Working within the framework of descriptive translation studies, this book provides a translational history of the English versions of Jin Ping Mei, supported by various paratexts, including book covers, reviews, and archival materials. It also conducts textual comparisons to uncover the translation norms at work in the only two complete renditions, namely The Golden Lotus by Clement Egerton and The Plum in the Golden Vase by David Roy, respectively. The notions of agency, habitus and capital are introduced for the examination of the transference of linguistic, literary and cultural aspects of the two translations.

The book represents the first systematic research effort on the English Translations of Jin Ping Mei. Given its pioneering status and interdisciplinary nature, the data, structure and findings of this book will potentially enrich the fields of Translation Studies, Comparative Literature, Chinese Studies, Cultural Studies and Book History.

About the author:

Dr. Lintao (Rick) Qi is Assistant Lecturer of Translation Studies at Monash University. Rick completed his PhD research (Translation Studies) at Monash University in 2015 on the country’s prestigious APA/IPRS scholarship. Before coming to Melbourne in 2012, Rick was as a freelance translator and English lecturer at Henan University, China. Having worked as a teacher and coordinator in a collaborative educational program between Australia and China, Rick is an enthusiastic advocate of transnational education and active participant in international research projects. He has been lecturing and tutoring in the Master program of Translation and Interpreting at Monash University since 2012.