Humanities (Jun 2022)
What Happened to the ‘Truth Universally Acknowledged’? Translation as Reception of Jane Austen in France
Abstract
There are now, in 2022, sixteen French translations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The incipit includes one of the most famous statements in the English language, as well as a modal auxiliary, the rendering of which constitutes a minor challenge for any translator. This essay will analyse all translations of the incipit, relating translation choices to historical circumstances, the contemporary status of British literature and attitudes to the translation of fiction as well as to the state of the book market.
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