“Parzival” by Wolfram von Eschenbach and “Parzival” by L. V. Ginzburg: The Pragmatics of Incomplete Translation

Abstract

The article analyses the translation strategy of L.V. Ginzburg, who rendered Wolfram von Eschenbach’s chivalric romanceParzival into Russian, and outlines the main directions that make it possible to return this work to its historical and cultural context. From the very beginning, the collection, which included the translation of Parzival, was intended for the mass audience, and therefore many episodes of the original novel were given in abridgment or retelling. Reductions of descriptions, some factual errors, distortions in the interpretation of scenes and characters seem insignificant and do not affect the overall perception of the translation, which is formally and structurally quite close to the original. However, these distortions accumulate, and details important for understanding medieval ideas of an ideal courtly society are lost in the retelling. The translation seems to be the same “adaptation&8j1; of the medieval text as the Middle High German Parzival was in relation to Chretien de Troyes’ Perceval. An updated translation of the chivalric romance, equipped with historical and cultural commentary, would be a significant event in Russian medieval studies.