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Article published In: Target
Vol. 15:1 (2003) ► pp.37–58

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What happened to God and the angels

An exercise in translational stylistics

 | Centre for Research in Translation, Middlesex University
Published online: 20 November 2003
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https://doi.org/10.1075/target.15.1.03mal
The paper which follows uses a set of translations by Henry William Dulcken of stories written by Hans Christian Andersen and published in Danish between 1835 and 1866 as the object of an exercise in translational stylistic analysis. Section 1 presents the author, Section 2 discusses translational stylistics, Section 3 sets the scene for the stylistic study by outlining the impact of fairytale translations on the literary polysystem in Britain in the 19th Century and the reception in Victorian Britain of Andersen’s stories, and by introducing the translator and comparing his translations briefly with other early translations. Section 4 is devoted to the stylistic study, while Section 5 suggests that translational stylistics can be an important component in comparative cultural studies.
Résumé
Cet article constitue un exercice d’analyse stylistique de la traduction, basé sur un ensemblede traductions anglaises de contes de Hans Christian Andersen, publiés entre 1835 et 1866;les traductions sont dues à HenryWilliam Dulcken. La première section présente l’auteur, ladeuxième section aborde la notion de stylistique de la traduction, la troisième préparel’analyse stylistique proprement dite, en étudiant l’impact exercé par les traductions decontes de fées sur le polysystème littéraire anglais au XIXe siècle, ainsi que la réception descontes d’Andersen à l’époque victorienne. Suivent un portrait du traducteur et unecomparaison de ses traductions avec des traductions antérieures. La quatrième sectionprésente l’analyse stylistique, tandis que la cinquième souligne l’intérêt de la stylistique de latraduction pour les études culturelles comparées.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Stylistics and translational stylistics
  • 3.Andersen’s stories in Victorian Britain
  • 4.An exercise in translational stylistics
    • 4.1Linguistic good taste and manners
    • 4.2Mentioning, thanking and praying to God
    • 4.3In search of an explanation
    • 4.4Everything in its right place...
  • 5.Explanation once removed?
  • References
References (39)
References
Bibliographical resources
Sources for Andersen’s original stories
H. C. Andersens Eventyr: Kritisk udgivet efter de originale Eventyrhæfter med Varianter ved Erik Dal og Kommentar ved Erling Nielsen. I1: 1835–1842, 1963; II1: 1843–1855, 1964. Copenhagen: Hans Reitzels Forlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Novel translations
Improvisatoren 1835.
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O. T. and Kun en Spillemand both 1836.
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