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清末民初（1891-1917）科幻小说翻译探究

摘 要

翻译研究属于社会科学及人文科学的跨界学科，主要目的在于对翻译理论及实

践进行系统性的研究，该研究离不开其他许多相邻学科的支持，包括语言学、比较

文学、历史学、哲学、符号学、计算机科学、认知科学等等，而本文主要关注的是

翻译研究与历史学的结合，着眼点则放在中国文化史第三次翻译高潮时一种边缘文

类——科幻小说的译介。

本文旨在全方位探讨清末民初、准确说是1891到1917年这半个多世纪时间内科

幻小说的汉译状况，首先通过量化的手段，筛网式地对所掌握的所有科幻译本进行

考察，概括性地分析原文本及其相应译文本的特征和影响；再由面及点，通过对几

组典型科幻译本的探究，揭示同期科幻翻译和创作的关系，并通过科幻文学和儿童

文学翻译的比较，探讨两者间的关系。

论文共包括五部分。引言部分首先论述翻译史研究在整个翻译研究中的重要位

置；然后对国内科幻汉译研究的现状及不足进行简述，并阐明论文选题的意义；最

后介绍论文的写作框架。

第二部分首先对科幻小说的概念进行探究，然后简单回顾1917年以前世界科幻

小说的发展状况、以及同期中国科幻小说的译介和创作。

第三部分为综合性考察，通过量化的统计，从宏观角度全面地对清末明初的科

幻翻译由出现到高峰，由高峰陷入沉寂的过程进行考察，对所掌握的科幻译本进行

界定和分析，从原文本和译文本两方面出发。

第四部分为个案分析部分，选取几组具有典型性特征的科幻译本，进行对比分

析，揭示科幻小说与儿童文学的联系，并探讨同时期科幻翻译与创作的关系。

最后为结论部分，通过对本阶段科幻汉译史的总结，从宏观角度看待其与中国

文化的关系，探求中国文化独特的气质以及选择标准，并指出科幻小说汉译研究是

中国、尤其是清末民初翻译史研究中不可忽视的组成部分，值得也需要翻译史界的

关注和重视。

关键词：科幻小说；翻译史；创作；儿童文学

SF Translation in China from 1891 to 1917:

A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Translation studies is an interdiscipline containing elements of social science and the

humanities, dealing with the systematic study of the theory, the description and the

application of translation, interpreting or both activities. It borrows much from the

different fields of study that support translation. These include linguistics, comparative

literature, history, philosophy, semiotics, computer science, cognitive science, and so on.

The thesis pays special attention to the integration between translation studies and history,

mainly focusing on translation of science fiction, a relatively marginalized genre in the

system of literature, during the third upsurge in translation in the history of Chinese

culture.

The thesis aims to make a complete research the translations of SF and their

reception during the late Qing and the early period of Republic of China, from 1891 to

1917, to be exact. Firstly, quantitative approaches are used to thoroughly examine all the

science fiction translations available, to generally analyze the features and influences of

STs and TTs. To be more detailed, several pairs of texts that are representative are

ed for a comparative study, in view of uncovering the relationship between the

contemporary translated SF texts and those that were created, and the relationship

between science fiction and children literature.

The thesis comprises five sections. The first section, an introduction, gives a review

of analyses translation history research as an essential segment of translation studies,

briefly surveying reviewing the achievements and deficiencies of related researches on

translation of science fictions, with a statement of the title for the research and its

structure.

Part Two examines the relevant concepts of science fiction, including its nature, a

brief history of science fiction in west before 1917, followed by a review of its

development in China at that time.

Part Three conducts a general exploration SF translation from 1891 to 1917, by

means of quantitative methods, well-roundedly summarizing the process from initiation

to summit, the process from summit to decline of this literary genre, analyzing and

distinguishing the science fiction translations available, both ST and TT included.

Part Four is a case study, with several typical texts analyzed and compared with each

other to reveal the relationship between science fiction and children literature, and

between contemporary science fiction and creation.

The last part concludes the thesis, which generalizes characteristics of development

of SF translations in China, inquires the relationship between SF translations and Chinese

culture, to find the unique features and ion standards of traditional Chinese culture,

followed by some theoretical reflections as well as suggestions for future research.

Key Words: science fiction; translation history; creation; children literature

CONTENTS

摘 要

..........................................................................................................I

Abstract........................................................................................................III

1. Introduction................................................................................................1

1.1 Theoretical basic of the study ................................................................................ 1

1.2 Relative studies in China and abroad..................................................................... 2

1.3 Main purpose of the study...................................................................................... 4

2. Nature and Earlier Development of Science Fiction..................................5

2.1 Definition and main features.................................................................................. 5

2.2 Subgenres............................................................................................................... 7

2.3 A brief history of SF abroad before 1917............................................................... 9

2.4 The earlier development of SF in China .............................................................. 12

3. General Exploration SF Translation..................................................16

3.1 Figure One ........................................................................................................... 16

3.2 The Time columns and general trend................................................................... 32

3.3 Source texts.......................................................................................................... 34

3.3.1 Time and the translation span .................................................................... 35

3.3.2 Types and contents ..................................................................................... 35

3.3.3 The Authors................................................................................................ 35

3.4 Target texts ........................................................................................................... 37

3.4.1 The Translators........................................................................................... 37

3.4.2 Publishing houses, magazines, and newspapers ........................................ 39

3.4.3 The tendency of translation........................................................................ 41

4. Case Studies.............................................................................................43

4.1 Interaction between translation and creation ....................................................... 43

4.1.1 A translated text by Liang Qichao.............................................................. 43

4.1.2 A created version with the same name....................................................... 45

4.2 Relationship between science fiction and children’s fiction................................ 47

5. Conclusion ...............................................................................................52

Bibliography ................................................................................................54

Acknowledgement .......................................................................................62

Published papers during studying for master’s degree.................................63

1

1. Introduction

Science fiction, sci-fi or SF in short, formerly called scientific romance, science

fantasy, different story, impossible story, scientificion, and so on, is a relatively new

genre in the family of literature, because although many elements and fragments of

science fiction can be found in literary works before 19

th

century both in China and

abroad, the self-consciousnessed beginning of modern science fiction is considered to be

the appearance of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein in 1818. And in China it was introduced in

the last decade of 19

th

century by Timothy Richard, a Welsh Baptist missionary. Then,

many Chinese intellectuals joined to translate and write SF Fictions, as a result, this

unique literary genre gradually found its position in the Chinese literary system. During

the period from 1891 to 1917, as the sources of guidance and inspiration, the translated

SF texts, outnumbering the created ones, made a strong impact on them, on modern

Chinese fiction, and even on the ossified Chinese traditional culture. Consequently, an

examination of SF translation during this period will surely enrich the studies of the

history of Chinese translated literature.

1.1 Theoretical basic of the study

According to Anthony Pym, translation history is a set of discourses predicating the

changes that have occurred or have actively been prevented in the field of translation. Its

field includes actions and agents leading to translations (or non-translations), the effects

of translations (or non-translations), theories about translation, and a long etcetera of

causally related phenomena. And it can be subdivided at least three interdepended

areas: archaeology, which concerned with answering all or part of the complex question

‘who translated what, how, where, when, for whom and with what effect?’; criticism,

which assess the way translations help or hinder progress; and something called

explanation by him, which tries to say why archaeological artifacts occurred when and

where they did, and how they were related to change (Pym, 1998: 5-6). And for the

question why to study translation history, he gave us three reasons that translation history

can fulfill a service function with respect to the humanistic disciplines concerned with

describing individual cultures, that translation history can provide information and ideas

2

which may prove useful for policymakers in the field of general language and culture as

well as translation, and that translation history studies is potentially at odds with the

compatibilist arguments given so far (ibid: 16-17).

Therefore, interest in the history of translation has grown in recent years both in

China and abroad, and many scholars emphasize the urgency of constructing a new

sub-discipline with appropriate methods and theoretical models (Mona Baker, 2004:100).

In the opinion of Lieven D’hulst, it is time to give the history of translation the place it

deserves (ibid.). In Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies edited by Mona Baker,

Judith Woodsworth pointed out that the history of translation can focus on practice and

theory (2004:101). And among the more conventional dividing lines are those offered by

the categories of space and time: the history of translation in a given geographical area

such as Europe; the history of translation during a given period such as the Middle Age

(ibid.). Referring to types of translation, translation history can be classified the

history of literary translation, the history of religious translation, the history of technical

translation, and so on (2004: 101-102). Based on new perspectives in the humanities and

social sciences, the history of translation can also be divided in other ways, for instance,

in terms of gender, in terms of translation institutions, and in terms of ideologies

(ibid:103).

This thesis examines the SF Translation in China from 1891 to 1917. That is to say, it

focuses on the history of a specific literary genre translation. As an irreplaceable

complement of the whole translation history, science fiction translation offers a unique

perspective to studies of translation history, especially in the specific social and historical

contexts.

1.2 Relative studies in China and abroad

In the field of literary translation studies, science fiction, as relatively peripheral

genre, like some other popular fictions, has received limited attention either in China or

abroad. Therefore, very few monographs and papers focuses on this topic, most of which

acted as by-products of literary studies and comparative literature. In the early 1980s, due

to the mind emancipation after Cultural Revolution, some scholars started the pioneering

3

studies science fiction. In 1981, two papers called On the Science Fiction in the Late

Qing Dynasty

(清朝末年的科学幻想小说)

and Xu Nianci:A Forerunner of Chinese

Science Fiction

(中国科幻小说的先驱———徐念慈)

written by famous Chinese

science fiction writer Ye Yonglie were published respectively on Guangming Daily and

Wenhui Daily. After that, Japanese scholar Takeda Masaya issued some papers on

Chinese academic magazines during his postgraduate years in Fudan University, such as

The Overview of the Science Fiction in the Late Qing Dynasty

(清末科学小说概述)

and

so on. However, after that, the fledgling SF studies fell its trough and didn’t struggle

to get away from the condition until 1989 when Chen Pingyuan’s monograph A History

of Twentieth Century Chinese Fiction

(二十世纪中国小说史)

was published, which

devotes much space to introduce and evaluate SF fiction during the late Qing and the

early Republic period. Then, thanks to the appearance of Teaching and Research

Materials of Science Fiction

(科幻小说教学研究资料)

by Wu Yan, Collection of

Fictions in the Late Qing and the Early Republic

(清末民初小说书系)

by Yu Runqi,

Theoretical Materials of Chinese Fictions in the Twentieth Century Vol. One（1897-1916）

(二十世纪中国小说理论资料 ? 第一卷（1897-1916）)

by Chen Pingyuan and Xia

Xiaohong and so on, historical materials of science fictions in the late Qing Dynasty were

largely enriched. In 1998, the master’s thesis of Lin Jianqun of National Chung Cheng

University, Studies on Science Fiction in the Late Qing Dynasty

(晚清科幻小说研究

(1904-1911)

gave us a comparatively well-organized summarization.

When the 21

st

century, History of Chinese Science Fiction

(中国科学幻想文学馆

2001)

coauthored by Takeda Masaya, professor of Hokkaido University, and Hatashi

Hisayuki, instructor of Toyo University reviewed the whole historical development of

science fiction in China, presenting conditions of SF translation and creation in each time

slot. In addition, young scholars of Mainland made their efforts on science fiction studies,

such as master’s theses of Wu Xianya from Chinese Department of Beijing University

and of Zhang Ye from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. And a few academic papers

written by Chen Pingyuan, Wang Yan, Kang Wen and other scholars all have their

original characteristics in different aspects. Besides these, two monographs, Wang

4

Dewei’s The Suppressed Modernity: A New Evaluation of the Late Qing Fictions

(被压

抑的现代性——晚清小说新论)

and Yang Lianfen’s From the Late Qing Dynasty to the

May Fourth Movement: Birth of Modernity of Chinese Literature (

晚清至五四

——

中国

文学现代性的发生

) also include special sections about science fictions.

However, a fact which cannot be denied is that all these researches are done by

scholars of Chinese literary studies and that SF translation and its historical study remains

subsidiary to SF creation study. Until 2006, Jiang Qian, a candidate for the doctoral

degree of Fudan University completed her dissertation called Fantasy and Reality: A

Cultural Study of Science-fiction Translation in Twentieth-century China, thus, studies on

SF translation get on its way to gain the independent position. In spite of the appearance

of this trailblazing thesis, relative studies remain limited and marginalized, with too much

stress on the political aspects of this literary genre, inability to distinguish science fiction

from other genres, such as adventure and mystery, and ignorance the particularity of SF

texts.

1.3 Main purpose of the study

Science fiction, as a completely new literary genre which represents many

distinctive characteristics of modern western culture, was brought late feudal

Chinese society by means of translation. What kind of influence did it exert on the rigid

traditional Chinese culture? And how did this vigorless culture choose and receive it?

This thesis will pay much attention to answering related questions in order to compare

Chinese culture with its western counterpart, to unveil contemporary spirit of cultural

transformation period, and to provide some useful ideas and experiences for the reception

of western literature and culture during the globalization time. This thesis will be decent

supplement of the history of Chinese translation literature, and of the history of Chinese

literature, with both theoretical and practical value.

5

2. Nature and Earlier Development of Science Fiction

In order to investigate the translation status of science fiction, relative background

information has to be acquired first, including its definition, its characteristics, the

internal structure, and the brief historical development both abroad and in China.

2.1 Definition and main features

Science fiction includes a wide range of themes and subgenres so it is quite difficult

to give its definition. Over the years, writers, editors, critics and even readers offered

many different definitions. So we can only choose a rather typical one given by

Wikipedia: science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and

capitalization) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on

current or future science or technology. On the page called Definitions of science fiction,

Wikipedia give us a most useful definition in catalyzing academic debate from The

Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient

conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose

main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the author\'s empirical

environment, made by a well-known Yugoslav-born SF academic and critic Darko

Ronald Suvin. And there are also twenty-eight definitions listed, all of which were made

by famous SF authors and editors, including Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Kim

Stanley Robinson and so on. I cited seven definitions from 1940s to 2000s, perhaps the

similarities and differences among them will give us a glimpse of the nature and features

of science fiction:

1. A piece of scientific fiction is a narrative of an imaginary invention or discovery in

the natural sciences and consequent adventures and experiences…It must be a scientific

discovery -- something that the author at least rationalizes as possible to science. (J. O.

Bailey 1947) (Clute & Nicholls, 1993:311-314)

2. Science fiction is fiction based upon some imagined development of science, or

upon the extrapolation of a tendency in society. (Basil Davenport, 1955:15)

6

3. Science fiction is that class of prose narrative treating of a situation that could not

arise in the world we know, but which is hypothesized on the basis of some innovation in

science or technology, or pseudo-science or pseudo-technology, whether human or

extra-terrestrial in origin. (Kingsley Amis, 1960:14)

4. Science Fiction is the branch of literature that deals with the effects of change on

people in the real world as it can be projected the past, the future, or to distant places.

It often concerns itself with scientific or technological change, and it usually involves

matters whose importance is greater than the individual or the community; often

civilization or the race itself is in danger. (James E. Gunn 1977) (Gunn, 1998:16)

5. Science fiction is a form of fantastic fiction which exploits the imaginative

perspectives of modern science. (Pringle, 1985:9)

6. Science Fiction is a subdivision of fantastic literature which employs science or

rationalism to create an appearance of plausibility. (Brains 1996)

7. Science fiction is a genre in which the setting differs from our own world, and in

which the difference is based on extrapolations made from one or more changes or


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