Polysystems Theory Literary Translation

Russian Formalism – literature as ‘technique’ and literature as ‘system’ Matejka, Pomorska (ed), Readings in Russian Poetics, MIT, 1971 Shklovskij Tynjanov Jakobson

Structuralism – Robert Scholes, Structuralism in Literature, Yale University, 1974 Universal principles that govern the literary use of language Structuralism seeks to establish a model of the system of literature as the external reference for individual literary works Structuralism seeks to explore the relationship between the system of literature and wider culture

System and polysystem Nation (language, ethnicity, religion, politics) >> national literature Influence, ‘contact zones’ * >> genres * M.L. Pratt, Imperial Eyes

System and polysystem Dynamic Competing Heterogeneous Historical

System and polysystem Centre <> periphery High <> low Canon <> marginal genres Stability <> instability/ change

Literary communication Institution (context) Repertoire (code) Producer---------------------------------------------Consumer (writer) Market (contact) (reader) (addresser) Product (message) (addressee)

Translation and literature How are the source texts selected? Is this selection connected to the target literary system? Is translated literature a system with its own characteristics? (See Venuti on demestication/foreignasation, or Anderman on European drama in Britain)

How important is translated literature? 1. When a literary system is ‘young’* 2. When literature is peripheral 3. Turning point or crisis * See V. Macura in Translation, History and Culture (ed. S. Bassnett), M. Tymoczko,

Evan Zohar The dynamics within the polysystem creates turning points, that is to say, historical moments where established models are no longer tenable for a younger generation. At such moments, even in central literatures, translated literature may assume a central position. This is all the more true when at a turning point no item in the indigenous stock is taken to be acceptable, as a result of which a literary ‘‘vacuum’’ occurs. In such a vacuum, it is easy for foreign models to infiltrate, and translated literature mayc onsequently assume a central position.

Examples Epic and sonnet in Europe (see Mirror on Mirror) Manga (see Stefansson in G.Palsson, Beyond Boundaries) Eurocrime Children’s literature ‘’Scar’’ literature

Polysystems approach Translation strategies If translation is important/primary, then the innovation through translation is more likely, target models are not necessarily followed If translated literature is secondary, then target models may influence the translation strategy

http://www.tau.ac.il/~itamarez/ Polysystems approach Target orientation – the study of translated texts and their functions in the TS The study of translated texts within the target norms Itamar Even-Zohar http://www.tau.ac.il/~itamarez/

Polysystem and global culture Transnational writing Global literary system?