Reception Aesthetics Research Articles

Research on the English Translation of The Book of Songs from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics: A Case Study of Xiao Ya·Cai Wei

The English translation of the Chinese classic The Book of Songs serves as an important bridge for cultural exchange between China and the West, profoundly influencing the dissemination of Chinese culture abroad. This paper explores how to improve the quality of English translations of The Book of Songs by considering reader reception, using the widely circulated excerpt Xiao Ya · Cai Wei as a case study. Employing a comparative analysis of the two classic translations by the well-known Chinese translator Xu Yuanchong and the renowned British translator James Legge, this study found the two translations have their respective pros and cons. To improve translation quality for future international dissemination of Chinese culture, a form of collaborative translation by Chinese and English-speaking translators is recommended.

A Corpus-Based Evaluation of English Readers’ Aesthetic Reception of the Shandong-English Translation in Red Sorghum

In the context of world literature, target readers’ aesthetic reception of literary works has shifted from single culture to multiple cultures and has become a crucial factor in social-cultural communication. Shandong dialect, previously misidentified as vulgar expressions in literary research, has proved to have specific aesthetic values as explored in this research. This paper aims to analyse reasons for aesthetic criticism and find solutions to enhance the aesthetic acceptability of Shandong-English translation in Red Sorghum among English readers. Data were collected from different channels, including scholarly critiques, book reviews, blog posts by literary critics, and online forums. A corpus-based methodology is utilized to examine the aesthetic acceptability and reasons for aesthetic criticism by employing a re-framed aesthetic reception theory. Results showed greater frequency of aesthetic acceptance in book reviews than in online forums and blog posts by literary critics, with 53.7 per cent aesthetic acceptance versus 39.7 per cent aesthetic criticism from a total 529 sample data, excluding 6.6 per cent neutrality. Furthermore, book reviews showed a greater tendency towards aesthetic acceptance (64.3%) than online forums (51.5%) and blog posts by literary critics (33.3%). Lastly, the reasons for aesthetic criticism were mainly demonstrated in cultural disparity and defamiliarization of Shandong dialectal expression. The paper concludes by underscoring the significance of shifting from a text-oriented tendency to readers’ expectancy, initiative interaction, and social consciousness in the interaction with literary works. The study contributes reconstructed theory and practical insights for translators to balance the original cultural references and acceptability among English readers.

A Contrastive Study of Chinese-English Translation of Ancient Poetry from the Perspective of Aesthetics of Reception: A Case Study of the Two Translations of Vain Longing

The Chinese literary classic "Dream of the Red Chamber" features a variety of poems and songs, with "Vain Longing," which serves as its theme song, being particularly popular among readers both domestically and internationally. Among the many translations available, those by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, along with Hawkes' version, are the most prominent and hold significant research value. Acceptance Aesthetics, which emerged from the German critical school in the 20th century, provides a fresh lens through which to view the translation of ancient Chinese poetry. This paper utilizes Aesthetics of reception as its theoretical framework and focuses on the English translations of "Vain Longing" by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang as well as Hawkes found in "Dream of the Red Chamber." By examining their translation philosophies and approaches, this study aims to contribute insights for translating ancient poetry within literary contexts while enhancing global appreciation for Chinese poetic beauty and promoting classical Chinese culture.

A Comparative Study Of Methods Employed By The Yangs And Hawkes For Translating Traditional Chinese Medicine Terms In Hong Lou Meng From The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics

As the quintessence of our country, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an essential part of traditional Chinese culture and contributes to the health of the Chinese nation. TCM gradually captures the attention of the world and delivers benefits to people from the world. Hong Lou Meng, one of China’s four great masterpieces, is an encyclopedic novel that involves more than 290 pieces of medical knowledge. From the perspective of reception aesthetics, this paper studies translation strategies of TCM terms in the Yangs and Hawkes translations of Hong Lou Meng, in order to provide reference for the English translation of TCM terminology

Translation of Earthliness: An Exploration of Translation Dislocation of Folk Language in Chin P'ing Mei in Late Ming Dynasty within the Framework of Aesthetic Reception

As the first full-lenght satiric novel, Jin Ping Mei (Chin P'ing Mei), written by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng at the end of the Ming Dynasty, elaborates the social and worldly affairs comprehensively through vivid language and skillful usage of literary devices. Due to the richness of the folk language for the language forms, and the differences and great colloquial and regional characteristics to the Western readers in the geographical and time facets, for the purpose of reception in the target culture, the translator gives adjustment or modification to folk languages forms like dialect, slang, idiom, and proverbs, etc., which engenders certain translation dislocation to some extent. Through qualitative and comparative analyses, this paper aims to offer a preliminary exploration of the basic paradigm, causes, and construction process of the translation dislocation of the folk language in those two English translation versions of Jin Ping Mei from the four dimensions of readers' expectation horizons, aesthetic distance, integration of horizons, and the construction of respond-inviting structures under the perspective of aesthetic reception theory, so as to provide an avenue for English readers to delve into the peculiar translation dislocation of the folk language in the translation of Chinese classical works.

Reassessment of the Aesthetics of Reception: Convergences and Epistemological Ruptures in the Field of Information and Communication Sciences

This article examines the epistemological foundations of reception aesthetics, highlighting the contributions of the Constance School, in particular the concept of the horizon of expectation. It analyzes how these ideas have been adapted to contemporary studies in information and communication sciences to study the reception of modern media. It evaluates its current applications, identifies its limits and epistemological ruptures in the field of information and communication sciences, and proposes a reevaluation of its concepts in the light of recent developments in reception studies.

An Inquiry into the English Translation of Chinese Children's Literature from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics: A Case Study of Bronze and Sunflower

An Inquiry into the English Translation of Chinese Children's Literature from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics: A Case Study of Bronze and Sunflower

LOST AT SEA: MARITIME MODERNITY AND THE NEGOTIATION OF IDENTITY IN THEODOR STORM'S ‘HANS UND HEINZ KIRCH’

ABSTRACTThis article explores the depiction of the sailor and the conflict between bourgeois life and its fluid ‘other’ in Theodor Storm's novella ‘Hans und Heinz Kirch’ (1883). The analysis brings together spatial theory, in particular Deleuze and Guattari's understanding of ‘smooth’ and ‘striated’ spaces, and reception aesthetics. Next to the ‘smooth’, fluid border of the ocean, the article identifies other in‐between areas which play a central role in the novella as spheres of negotiating story and identity: the sailor's skin as the border between self and other; and the omissions of language and narration. It argues that the many ‘Leerstellen’ of the text correspond to the openness of the sea and open up to a ‘travelling’ reading. Readers are invited to actively explore the open spaces and ambiguities of the text and thus contribute to the production of meaning. Placing Storm's novella in the context of maritime modernity and regarding correspondences between the narrative discourse and the conflict between ‘smooth’ and ‘striated’ space, this article offers a new perspective on Storm.

Revisiting the Influence of Online Readers in Postcolonial Literature: A Postcolonial Analysis

This paper explores the impact of online platforms, institutions and digital reading communities on reading practice in the digital age. The subjective status of the readers and their activeness in the creation and realization of the meaning of literary texts are emphasized by reception aesthetics. The current research on postcolonial literature focuses broadly on the authors perspective and the texts perspective but lacks the readers perspective. This paper puts the changes in readers subjectivity in the digital era under the post-colonial perspective, discussing what kind of changes have taken place in the subjectivity of network readers. Meanwhile, it analyzes how cyber subalterns and elites will influence postcolonial discourse in the digital realm. Using a theoretical and methodological framework covering post-colonialism and receptive criticism, this article demonstrates how marginal discourses can construct and grow spaces within social and cultural limits. The results show that the online reading practice and the formation of online communities further blur cultural boundaries. The post-colonial visual threshold gives readers the task of expanding marginal discourse. Finally, this article illustrates that readers subjectivity is still limited by digital institutions and algorithms, and they must be wary of network colonization.

Translation of Culture-loaded Words in The Golden Cangue under the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics

Translation of Culture-loaded Words in The Golden Cangue under the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics

A comparative study of the two English versions of the Analects from the perspective of the Reception Aesthetics

A comparative study of the two English versions of the Analects from the perspective of the Reception Aesthetics

Cerita Baru Klinting di Desa Banyubiru Kecamatan Ambarawa Kabupaten Semarang: Tinjauan Estetika Resepsi

The psychological impact of oral literature, particularly the Baru Klinting folklore, on readers has been understudied, especially in relation to material objects associated with the story. This study aims to investigate the psychological effects of the Baru Klinting story on residents of Banyubiru Village, Ambarawa District, Semarang Regency. A qualitative-descriptive approach was employed, focusing on a single subject, Suryana, a resident of Banyubiru Village. Data was collected through recorded interviews and note-taking. Analysis was conducted using a combination of reception aesthetics theory and psychoanalysis. The study revealed three key findings: (1) The subject, not being a literary expert, perceived the story as factual; (2) The subject showed little interest in literature but regularly participated in local traditions like swamp alms; (3) The Baru Klinting story, functioning as a collective unconscious and supported by personal unconscious complexes, led the subject to struggle in distinguishing fiction from reality. This resulted in individualization manifesting as resistance through persona, exemplified by participation in swamp alms preservation. The subject exhibited signs of psychosis, highlighting the profound psychological impact of oral literature on individuals lacking literary expertise. This study underscores the need for further research on the intersection of folklore, psychology, and community traditions.

Internalisasi Hadis Tarbawi dalam Media Sosial “Omar Hana” Sebagai Model Pendidikan Anak Islam di Indonesia

The development of hadith studies continues to experience dynamism, not only sanad and matan, but has developed into various trends of study from text to social media. Various innovations and creations of hadith literature began to emerge, such as Omar Hana's Islamic animated content. This research focuses on the internalization of hadith in Omar Hana's Islamic animation content as a way of Islamic child education, with the formulation of problems that include the interpretation of hadith in Omar Hana's Islamic animation content, aesthetic value, and its positive implications. The goal is to reveal the form of hadith reception in Omar Hana's Islamic animation in internalizing the Prophet's hadith as Islamic child education. The method used in the research is library research with the theory of reception introduced by Ahmad Rafiq, which refers to three steps, namely exegesis, aesthetic, and functional. This study found the first fact, that the hadith in Omar Hana's Islamic animation content is conveyed with song lyrics accompanied by typical children's backsound and displays the hadith translation at the end of the video. Second, the reception of the hadith text in the content of Omar and Hana uses aesthetic reception of hadith in the form of digitally animated visualization. While the hadith used is themed on daily practices from waking up to sleeping again by taking pieces of the matan of the hadith without including the sanad and the quality of the hadith. Functionally, the value of the teaching can be a medium for children's moral education although it is not representative enough in terms of the scientific discourse of hadith by mentioning the position of the status of hadith.

Hörbuch. Methoden, Konzepte, Forschungsfragen

Abstract The essay examines methodological-theoretical challenges of current audiobook research and discusses alternative approaches to the audiobook. It proposes a sign-theoretical and media-technical perspective on the audio book in terms of both production, and reception aesthetics.

A Study on the English Translation of Fond Memories of Peiping from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics

A Study on the English Translation of Fond Memories of Peiping from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics

English Translation of Fuzzy Beauty of Classical Chinese Poetry

This paper attempts to probe into English translation of fuzzy beauty of classical Chinese poetry via imagery. Classical Chinese poetry is the cream of Chinese culture. It attracts millions of Chinese and western readers with its subtle and profound fuzzy beauty. The ultimate requirement of English translation of classical Chinese poetry lies in transferring its fuzzy beauty. Fuzzy beauty of classical Chinese poetry falls into three categories: fuzzy beauty in form, fuzzy beauty in imagery and fuzzy beauty in artistic conception. Imagery, being the soul of classical Chinese poetry, serves as a communicative and operational medium of transference of fuzzy beauty. The essence of fuzzy beauty consists in "gaps of indeterminacy" which conjures up the reader's unrestrained association. "Gaps of indeterminacy" constitute the "appealing structure" in a text which is subject to the reader's free interpretation according to his own "horizon of expectation". Fuzzy aesthetics sheds light on the aesthetic features of fuzzy beauty, and the hierarchical structure of fuzzy beauty in fuzzy aesthetics corresponds to different layers of fuzzy beauty of classical Chinese poetry. Therefore, both aesthetics of reception and fuzzy aesthetics are of instructive value to English translation of classical Chinese poetry. This paper is composed of five sections. The introductory section is concerned with the significance and purpose of the research. The second section reveals in detail fuzzy beauty in classical Chinese poetry. In the third section, the techniques and principle for translation of poetic fuzzy beauty are put forward in light of aesthetics of reception and fuzzy aesthetics and imagery is recommended as an ideal medium of transference of fuzzy beauty. The fourth section centers on how to transfer fuzzy beauty of classical Chinese poetry using imagery as a medium, analyses and proposals are given from such angles as fuzzy modifiers, syntax, juxtaposition, and cultural influences. A natural conclusion is drawn in the last section.

On Translation of Children’s Literature Based on Reception Aesthetics: A Case Study of The Secret Garden

On Translation of Children’s Literature Based on Reception Aesthetics: A Case Study of The Secret Garden

An Analysis of the Translation of Chinese Culture-loaded Words in Fortress Besieged from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics

Culture-loaded words are phrases and idioms that reflect unique national cultural characteristics and can directly reflect the historical uniqueness of a country. This paper discusses the translation of culture-loaded words in Fortress Besieged from the perspective of reception aesthetics, and analyzes the translator’s translation methods according to the similarities and differences between the source language culture and the target language culture. It also analyzes the feasibility of the translation of culture-loaded words under the guidance of reception aesthetics and the quality of the translation under the guidance of the two main theories of reception aesthetics (reader’s horizon of expectation and the implied reader). The main findings of this study are as follows: Firstly, translators adopt some translation methods and selectively meet readers’ directional and creative expectations. For different cultural transplanting phenomena, translators adopt different translation strategies to cater to readers’ receptivity and needs. Secondly, the implied reader plays an intermediary role in literature, connecting the creator and the audience, so that the work can be interpreted and experienced in a variety of contexts.

MARXISM AND AMOR INTELLECTUALIS: TOWARD A THEORY OF SOCIALIST CULTURE BY VOLODYMYR YURYNETS

The paper analyzes the methodological framework of the philosophy of culture and new literary criticism of the Ukrainian philosopher and literary critic Volodymyr Yurynets (1891—1937) within his article “To the Problem of Socialist Culture (Introduction to the book ‘Mykola Bazhan’).” His ideas testify to the powerful methodological searches in the field of Marxist criticism of the 1920s aimed at substantiating the nature of post-revolutionary culture. Balancing between Marxism and Western idealist philosophy, Yurynets brings elements of the latter into his philosophical Marxist criticism.
 While elaborating a model of new criticism, Yurynets substantiates perception based on a “fluxion of intellectual sympathy.” In this process, the recipient becomes an organ of “amor intellectualis, indifferent amazement.” Yurynets considers his philosophical criticism of culture to be a Marxist form of cultural philosophy. He asserts that literature is a form of philosophical thinking and argues that literary criticism armed with philosophy is a phenomenon completely different from academic literary criticism. Justifying philosophical criticism as an active and modeling force of the modern time, Yurynets appeals to the ideas of the literary critic Leonid Grossman, the literary theorist Pavel Medvedev, and the linguist Nikolai Marr. Yurynets’s concept comes down to the search for the meaning of art in relation to the “life world” of a man. At the same time, he interprets the discovery of the “living forces of the epoch” in the context of historical materialism. In an effort to purify aesthetic perception from subjectivity, psychology, and emotion, Yurynets actually adapts E. Husserl’s ‘phenomenological reduction’ and applies it to the aesthetic reception. The scholar also refers to reflexology and Freudian psychoanalysis as sources of artistic inspiration and interpretive ideas for contemporary philosophical criticism.

Being and Nature. The Aesthetic Ecocentrism

This article aims to understand how design aesthetics can actively contribute to a more sustainable and resilient society. The methodology uses a tripartite analysis: literature review, case studies, and analysis of historical context. The literature review was supported by an analysis of the philosophy of aesthetics and sustainability, case studies through examples of the ideals of ecocentric aesthetics and historical research as an ethnographic observation of the emergence of activism and its socio-artistic repercussions. Ecocentric aesthetics is based on constructing an aesthetic language through sustainability, using “ugliness” to overcome social alienation by identifying beauty as the aesthetics of reception (mercantile pressure). Propose through formal innovation, an activist role escaping the social functionalization of hyper-industrially, promoting a more conscious and accessible society, and a new language and knowledge that promotes resilience and preservation of life.