L’introduzione del Naturalismo in Cina, il ruolo di Mao Dun e il dibattito sulla stampa

Abstract

This article presents the introduction of Naturalism in China and its first mentions since the end of the nineteenth century. It examines the main terms of the debate on Naturalism (1920-21), after Mao Dun proposed his translation project of Naturalist and Realist works (1920), and the reflections and notes by some writers-translators on this issue. It is argued that Mao Dun’s translation proposal constitutes the first model of planned literary translation to carry out specific political-cultural projects. It is also argued that Naturalism underwent a process of localisation in China to serve as a tool for making the transition toward a modern Chinese literature.

Keywords

• Literary theory. Literary translation. Localisation. Mao Dun. Naturalism. Realism. Translation policy. Zola