(S)mothered in translation? (Re)translating the female Bildungsroman in the twentieth century in English and French

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Delmas, Melina (2020). (S)mothered in translation? (Re)translating the female Bildungsroman in the twentieth century in English and French. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the evolution of the translation of the female Bildungsroman in English and French over the twentieth century. It focuses on work by Doris Lessing, Carson McCullers, Edna O’Brien, Marguerite Duras, Françoise Sagan, and Christiane Rochefort. First, it compares the source texts to their translations in order to establish what shifts took place in translation. This part of the analysis shows how some of the earlier translations censored the text or turned it into a romance in translation. Then, using the sociology of translation and the concept of the translator’s habitus, this thesis explores the context of production of these texts in order to understand why they were translated in this way. It shows how the translator’s position in the translation field, and the struggle to maintain that status, can shape the way s/he translates. This work also tries to establish what factors motivate retranslation, especially in the case of women’s writing. I demonstrate that the twentieth-century female Bildungsroman represents a zone of uncertainty, which could explain the shifts observed in translation. Finally, this thesis proposes to view translation as a synchronic rather than a diachronic process, as is traditionally the case.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):