The role of spatial changes to paratext in literary translation reception: eleven Chinese editions of Charlotte’s Web

ABSTRACT

Paratext is designed to mediate between texts and readers, but few studies have analysed the paratextual evolution of the same translation and its function in relation to a work’s reception. This article examines how spatial changes to paratexts in eleven editions of Rongrong Ren’s Chinese version of Charlotte’s Web have a bearing on the translation’s reception. A qualitative analysis of reader comments on social media shows that: (1) an allographic preface adapted from a book review arouses some readers’ interest but acts as a spoiler for others; and (2) changing the translator’s preface to a postscript reduces the risk of giving the plot away in advance. In addition to demonstrating the role of paratext in relation to translation reception, the article further argues that, on a methodological level, researchers should note the paratextual differences between editions when conducting reception studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Paratext
• spatial changes
• translation reception
• online reader responses
• Charlotte’s Web

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Ren is one of the most prolific Chinese translators who has translated over 300 children’s books from Russian, English, and Italian. Ren has received many awards, such as Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award (CICLA) for Outstanding Contribution in 2003 and 2019, respectively.

2 The electronic version of Kang’s translation has been widely shared in cyberspace. I have compared the reception of this first translation with that of Ren’s translation elsewhere (see Chen 2023).

3 The data are from Beijing Openbook, a company established in 1998. It provides comprehensive and reliable data on the Chinese book market. See the yearly bestseller lists of children’s literature from 2009 to 2019 on its website: http://www.openbook.com.cn/index.aspx (Accessed 19 January 2022).

4 This diachronic line enquiry is followed by Sharon Deane-Cox’s monograph on retranslations and their paratexts, in which she argues that paratexts offer insights into “the dynamics of how (re)translations might interact with one another” (2014, 26).

5 Any queries about the methodology should be directed to the corresponding author.

6 My translation from Chinese.

7 She uses the term “prefaces” broadly to include introductions, notes, afterwords, and other commentaries (2012, 66).

Additional information

Funding

This article was funded by Guangdong Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science, under project code GD23XWY01.

Notes on contributors

Xuemei Chen

Xuemei Chen (陈雪梅) is an Assistant Professor in the Programme of Applied Translation Studies at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, China.