학술논문

Ursula K. Le Guin's Tao Te Ching: An Interpretation Crossing Cultural Boundaries.
Document Type
Article
Source
Compilation & Translation Review. Mar2024, Vol. 17 Issue 1, p137-176. 59p.
Subject
*Cultural boundaries
Popular literature
China studies
Language
ISSN
2071-4858
Abstract
The Tao Te Ching (TTC) is one of the most-translated texts next to the Bible. More than just a Chinese religiophilosophical classic that only deserves scholarly translations, the TTC and its ever-growing acceptance as popular literature deserves more attention within the realm of translation studies both domestically and abroad. Despite knowing no Chinese, Ursula K. Le Guin, the legendary literary icon, published her popular yet gender-conscious TTC translation as a nonscholar in 1997. The present study traces her lineage of TTC interpretation across cultural boundaries to arrive at the overlooked implications of a TTC "translation" by a world-renowned translator" who knows no Chinese, exploring her special case among myriad TTC translations in a renewed trend of Lao Tz studies (laoxue ) that no longer sees historically and culturally significant or "serious" texts only through scholarly lenses, but also from the viewpoint of non-scholarly or "popular" literature. This is achieved by positing Le Guin's unique case within the context of interpretive genealogy in the international extension of the Chinese study of laoxue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]