An Analysis of the Translation Choice of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Works in The Collected Works of Foreign Fictions Translated by the Zhou Brothers from the Perspective of André Lefevere’s Three Factors Theory

Abstract

In The Collected Works of Foreign Fictions, the Zhou brothers translated three short stories written by Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz as translation materials, but not any of his more popular novels. This article discusses such a translation choice made by the Zhou brothers from the perspective of Three Factors Theory proposed by André Lefevere. Firstly, because of a lack of stable patronage, the Zhou brothers intentionally chose obscure materials to translate, in order to get access to publication and avoid retranslation. Henryk Sienkiewicz’s short stories, compared with his novels, were obscure materials. Secondly, from the perspective of poetics, the Zhou brothers were influenced by the poetics of Georg Brandes and believed that “Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novels were driven by profit” and denied the literary value of his novels. Lastly, from the perspective of ideology, the Zhou brothers, especially Lu Xun, emphasized the ideological factors and paid attention to themes such as “small and weak nations” and “being oppressed.” As Poland was a real oppressed nation, the ideology reflected in the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz’s three short stories were consistent with that of the Zhou brothers.