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論晚清科學小說《新法螺》的「跨語際實踐」
Author(s)
Date Issued
2021
Journal
ISSN
2218-8517
Citation
清華中文學報, 2021年6月, 第25期, 頁287-330.
Type
Peer Reviewed Journal Article
Abstract
1905 年,中國作家徐念慈寫成新法螺先生譚,研究者視之為中國第一部完整的短篇科學小說.其轉折的生成過程值得注意:該小說以翻譯家包天笑的譯作法螺先生譚和續譚為底本,而該兩篇譯作,又根據日本兒童文學翻譯家巖谷小波從德國通俗故事閔豪生奇游記(1786)翻譯撮寫而成的法螺先生續法螺先生加以轉譯和改寫.可以說,新法螺先生譚經歷了多重的跨語際實踐(translingual practice)-即學者劉禾所指,晚清文人翻譯外文作品時,通過有意識的挪用或改寫,使原文產生新意義的過程,1906年,小說林社將徐念慈的新法螺先生譚與包天笑的兩篇譯文底本結集出版,取名為新法螺.當中三篇作品互相關連,可以反映包徐兩位晚清文人對西方科學觀念的某些相近的思考.過往研究者多從中西文明衝突的角度切入探討新法螺先生譚,認為該小說反映了晚清文人抵抗西方科學的態度.然而,本文通過考察新法螺多重的跨語際實踐,認為新法螺先生譚裏的中西方思想的關係並非簡單地對立,該小說也並非旨在評斷中西方學說的高下而已.故此,本文擬從跨語際實踐的角度,首先比讀包天笑對巖谷小波譯文的改寫,然後探討新法螺先生譚如何在包天笑的譯作之上,增添科學元素,將原作中狂妄自大的德國男爵,改寫成為常作自我反省的中國瘋狂科學家,並通過該人物展示晚清文人對於西方科學和啟蒙救國的複雜思考.
Xu Nianci 徐念慈, a renowned translator and novelist of the Late Qing 清 dynasty, wrote New Tales of Mr. Braggadocio 新法螺先生譚 in 1905. Scholars recognize this creative work as the first modern Chinese science fiction novel. Xu composed it after reading Bao Tianxiao’s 包天笑 Chinese translation of the German adventure story Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia 閔豪生奇游記, which was based on a Japanese translation by Iwaya Sazanami 巖谷小波. Xu rewrote the story by changing Mr. Braggadocio into a Chinese intellectual, and he used this character to discuss various scientific issues. It is worth noting that this creative work is a typical case of “translingual practice,” a term that Lydia Liu 劉禾 has used to describe the process via which Late Qing intellectuals assimilated foreign knowledge and expressed new meanings through literary adaptation in their translations. In 1906, the Novelistic Forest Press published Xu’s work together with Bao’s translations of the original text under the title New Mr. Braggadocio 新法螺. The juxtaposition of these texts shows that Xu and Bao shared similar ideas about Western science. Earlier studies of Xu’s novel for the most part viewed it through the lens of civilizational conflict and concluded that it reflected Late Qing antimodernization and anti-scientific attitudes. However, by examining the different types of “translingual practice” found in New Mr. Braggadocio, this article argues that Xu’s creative work did not simply counterpose Chinese and Western cultures. It first compares Bao’s translation to the original Japanese text and discusses how Bao emphasized the importance of science. It then analyzes how Xu transformed the character of the arrogant German nobleman into an introspective and whimsical Chinese scientist in an effort to express his sophisticated conceptions of science and enlightenment.
Xu Nianci 徐念慈, a renowned translator and novelist of the Late Qing 清 dynasty, wrote New Tales of Mr. Braggadocio 新法螺先生譚 in 1905. Scholars recognize this creative work as the first modern Chinese science fiction novel. Xu composed it after reading Bao Tianxiao’s 包天笑 Chinese translation of the German adventure story Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia 閔豪生奇游記, which was based on a Japanese translation by Iwaya Sazanami 巖谷小波. Xu rewrote the story by changing Mr. Braggadocio into a Chinese intellectual, and he used this character to discuss various scientific issues. It is worth noting that this creative work is a typical case of “translingual practice,” a term that Lydia Liu 劉禾 has used to describe the process via which Late Qing intellectuals assimilated foreign knowledge and expressed new meanings through literary adaptation in their translations. In 1906, the Novelistic Forest Press published Xu’s work together with Bao’s translations of the original text under the title New Mr. Braggadocio 新法螺. The juxtaposition of these texts shows that Xu and Bao shared similar ideas about Western science. Earlier studies of Xu’s novel for the most part viewed it through the lens of civilizational conflict and concluded that it reflected Late Qing antimodernization and anti-scientific attitudes. However, by examining the different types of “translingual practice” found in New Mr. Braggadocio, this article argues that Xu’s creative work did not simply counterpose Chinese and Western cultures. It first compares Bao’s translation to the original Japanese text and discusses how Bao emphasized the importance of science. It then analyzes how Xu transformed the character of the arrogant German nobleman into an introspective and whimsical Chinese scientist in an effort to express his sophisticated conceptions of science and enlightenment.
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