Three-Leaf Collection: German Literature. Literary Translation. Comparative Literature

Author: Yang Wuneng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Briefly introduce the three parts of this book and specifically discuss where they are new:
The first part discusses German literature. As an important branch of foreign literature, especially Western literature, German literature is my true professional field. The fortune I have in pursuing this field lies in having been taught by outstanding scholars such as Ye Fengzhi, Zhang William, and Feng Zhi. However, despite this, I do not blindly follow my teachers but strive for creativity, breakthroughs, and progress. For example, Mr. Feng Zhi is widely recognized as an expert on Goethe. Although I followed his academic direction, in the book Getting Closer to Goethe, which has already been published, I studied issues and works that he did not address, such as The Sorrows of Young Werther and Affinity, or works he did not have time to systematically and deeply research, such as poetry and Faust. Taking the current "Discussions on German Literature" as an example, the articles following Getting Closer to Goethe, such as Not Just Self-Strengthening—A Different Interpretation and Reflection on the Spirit of Faust and Goethe as a Thinker, can also be considered innovative and offer fresh insights. The same applies to the study of other writers and works—I mostly speak of what others have not, thus adding some value. Just as I first emphasized that Goethe is first and foremost a great thinker, I also propose the proposition that German literature, as the main subject of German literature, is the literature of thinkers, thereby clarifying its fundamental characteristics and special value as an important part of world literature.
Furthermore, many of the discussions in this part on German Novelle (short stories) were among the first in China to study the theory of German short stories and their writers and works, which has helped Chinese readers better understand, recognize, and appreciate this genre that German literature excels at. It must be noted that most German Novelles are highly engaging; if a broad readership can understand and appreciate German Novelles, the biased conclusion that German literature is "not engaging" may be corrected. I emphasize innovation as my academic pursuit, and I believe that the novelty is the main value of this collection of essays. However, it must be said that there are not many people in China who study German literature, so it is not difficult to achieve innovation in research, nor is it difficult to fill gaps in research, and even to become the leading expert in a small research topic. What matters is having the courage and the heart; with courage and dedication, it is not difficult to achieve certain accomplishments. Therefore, I value my achievements in German literature research far less than my translation achievements. I am also aware that my academic foundation is weak and that I am unlikely to become a great scholar, whereas I proudly consider myself to possess the specific temperament, qualities, and abilities to become a literary translator. This is the subjective root of my lack of diligence in academic research and my mediocre achievements.
The second part discusses the practice and theory of literary translation. Literary translation is my greatest passion. I originally studied foreign languages in university to fulfill my dream of becoming a literary translator, which I had been pursuing since high school. Since the late 1950s, I have persistently engaged in literary translation as a hobby, and to this day, I deeply understand that a good translator must clearly grasp the essence of literary translation, must possess the necessary knowledge and qualities, and must hold the correct standards to evaluate their own work. Therefore, in the spare time of my translation practice, while paying attention to the development of translation theory, I also frequently engage in reflections on literary translation theory and principles, and I have shared my thoughts with colleagues at home and abroad, which led to the several essays collectively titled "Random Thoughts." Such articles, naturally, have the nature of personal experience summaries and are difficult to be profound or systematic. However, they are rooted in practice, come from the heart, and are substantive, with the advantages of being unique, fresh, and original. The other articles in this section, though written under different circumstances than "Random Thoughts," are also based on my own literary translation practice and express my personal genuine feelings, so they are equally individual and irreplaceable.
I discussed and wrote about the subjectivity of literary translation quite a bit and relatively early. Today, it has become a hot topic and research subject in the field of translation studies, which makes one of the initiators and self-proclaimed "" of translation theory deeply gratified.
The third part involves comparative literature. To be honest, my engagement in comparative literature and my inclusion in the so-called circle of comparative literature scholars, let alone becoming a supervisor for the comparative literature and world literature program, was entirely due to an accidental turn of fate, entirely because of the favor of luck. For me personally, it was truly like planting willows unintentionally—purely by chance.