:1598. A Year of Pageantry in Late Renaissance Ferrara

Abstract

Stuart Gillespie and David Hopkins (eds), The Oxford History of Literary Translation into English, vol 3, 1660-1790, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 549, hb. £98.00, ISBN: 978-0-19-924622-9The Oxford History of Literary Translation into English 1660-1790 is the third volume, and the first to appear, of the ambitious undertaking to provide an overview of the entire history of the practice of translating foreign literary texts into English. This volume particularly aims to highlight the often undervalued significance of translation in establishing the English literary canon. The importance of translation in stimulating literary influence and establishing various literary genres and styles in England during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries clearly cannot be over-emphasised. The volume constitutes a necessary, well-structured and wide-ranging overview which both summarises work carried out thus far on translations from various genres and countries, and also highlights the work which is still to be done in many areas. The style and content throughout are deliberately accessible to both non-specialists and those with expertise in specific areas of literary translation in this period.Chapters 1-4 serve as introductory thematic chapters, and provide cultural contextualisation for the practice of literary translation during the period, a summary of translation theory and of the place and status of literary translation, and practical information on the publishing, readership and dissemination of translations and on the translator's trade. These introductory chapters provide excellent contextualisation for the more detailed studies of individual translations in chapters 5-9, highlighting themes which will recur throughout, such as the importance during the period of collaboration on translations, making the volume more coherent and rendering the content of the central chapters more accessible to the non-specialist. The first section of chapter 1, entitled 'Translation and Canon Formation', is written by Stuart Gillespie, whose detailed knowledge, informed understanding and engaging style contribute significantly to the success of the volume as a whole. Gillespie highlights the hugely significant role of translation during this period in establishing the native tradition; as mentioned, the exploration of this theme is a central aim of both this volume and of the series as a whole. Gillespie rightly points out that adaptations of contemporary French plays were intended to demonstrate the superiority of English theatrical tradition and style. Section 1:2, by Gillespie and Robin Sowerby, places translation within the context of wider cultural exchange and development, and contains excellent discussion of the influence of translation on the development of certain forms of English prosody and poetic diction, particularly the heroic couplet. Section 1:3, on 'The Publishing and Readership of Translation', is lively and engaging, particularly the amusing anecdotes on relations between translators and booksellers. The discussion of the role of printed miscellanies in disseminating translations is interesting, though the authors, Gillespie and Penelope Wilson, could have included reference to translations from seventeenth-century French verse, many of which appeared in the miscellanies, as well as to classical translations. The two sections of chapter 2 provide a detailed and coherent summary of the development of English translation theory in the period from target language-centred to source language-centred, and from free translation to greater literalism. Chapter 3 discusses various aspects of the translator, including the role of women translators. The opening section, on 'The Translator's Trade', fills in previously existing gaps on information relating to the employment of translators by the booksellers. David Hopkins and Pat Rogers make use of contemporary sources to provide very detailed information on how much translators were paid for various translations. …