Abstracts
Abstract
This paper will examine the role of the late-Victorian Lutetian Society translators (Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, their leader, Ernest Dowson, Havelock Ellis, Percy Pinkerton, Victor Plarr, Arthur Symons) as translating subjects and cultural agents, united by the “cause” of providing British readers with unexpurgated translations of some of Émile Zola’s maligned, if not banned, masterpieces so that they might be able to form an unbiased opinion of the literary merits of the works. Furthermore, the paper will explore what motivated these translators to join in this clandestine translation project and try to give some insight into the effect of their (re)translation activity on their personal appreciation of Zola and the novel translated. The paper concludes that the act of (re)translation served to expand the cultural horizons of the Lutetian Society translators. Their translations would, in turn, expand the cultural horizons of those who read them.
Keywords:
- late-Victorian England,
- Lutetian Society,
- translating subject,
- cultural agent,
- Émile Zola
Résumé
Cet article examine les traducteurs de la Société Lutétienne en tant que sujets traduisants et agents culturels. Les six traducteurs – Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, le chef du groupe, Ernest Dowson, Havelock Ellis, Percy Pinkerton, Victor Plarr et Arthur Symons – ont travaillé ensemble pendant la dernière décennie de l’ère victorienne afin de fournir aux lecteurs britanniques la traduction non expurgée de quelques chefs-d’oeuvre calomniés sinon interdits d’Émile Zola. Ces traductions allaient permettre aux lecteurs de se faire une opinion impartiale quant aux mérites littéraires de ces oeuvres. En outre, cette étude explore les motivations ayant poussé ces traducteurs à se joindre au projet clandestin de (re)traduction et tente de comprendre les effets de leur activité (re)traduisante sur leur appréciation personnelle de Zola et le roman traduit. L’article conclut que la tâche de (re)traduction a servi à élargir l’horizon culturel des traducteurs associés au projet de la Société Lutétienne, et que leurs traductions allaient, à leur tour, élargir l’horizon culturel de leurs lecteurs.
Mots-clés:
- fin de l’ère victorienne,
- Société Lutétienne,
- sujet traduisant,
- agent culturel,
- Émile Zola
Appendices
References
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