The translation of a text from one language into another is a science of its own, especially within literary works. The standards a translator has to meet these days are high and it is therefore hard to take as a coincidence that The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous work, has been translated into German three times up to now.
This remarkable number of translations for a book written not even a century ago might have something to do with the expectations the translator has to satisfy and which tend to be quite exalted when a lot of readers, who are not familiar with the language of the original work, and many publishers, who are aware of the fact that the translated work often sells better than the original, await its translation eagerly.
Once the translation is published, the question of the authenticity, of how much of the author the translated book still contains, is a common problem especially in the critique and the feuilleton but also among a books major recipients, the common readers. Everybody that ever had the chance to have a thorough talk with a foreigner about a literary work known to both sides might have come across the phenomenon that certain aspects of that book were perceived in different ways - maybe the irony of a main character suddenly bordered sarcasm, maybe his felicitous language did not sound eloquent at all or maybe the character’s whole appearance was bathed in a slightly different light.
The aim of this term paper is to analyse if there are such differences between two versions of The Great Gatsby, furthermore if and to which extent they can influence the perception of a character and finally to analyse how such aberrations can come into existence.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A Common Roughneck
3. The perfect Son in Law
4. Conclusion
4.2 Translation as Interpretation
5. Bibliography
Objectives & Themes
This academic paper explores the complexities of literary translation by analyzing two German versions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". It aims to investigate how subtle shifts in word choice during the translation process can significantly alter the perception of the novel's protagonist and whether such interpretive variations occur systematically or are merely context-dependent.
- The influence of translator choices on character perception
- The challenge of preserving ambiguity in translated literary texts
- A comparative analysis of translations by Walter Schürenberg (1953) and Bettina Abarbanell (2006)
- The philosophical distinction between translation and interpretation
Excerpt from the Book
A Common Roughneck
Jay Gatsby appears in a very ambiguous light right from the start of the novel. Fitzgerald himself confessed to John Peale Bishop a few months after The Great Gatsby had been published: “You are right about Gatsby being blurred and patchy. I never at one time saw him clear myself”. But it is also Fitzgeralds meticulous use of words that makes it nearly impossible for the reader to penetrate the air of ambiguity that surrounds Gatsby.
The translation makes it hard for this ambiguity to sustain and while it ceases it gets more and more apparent that “[b]eneath the elaborate, albeit gaudy, elegance of Gatsby looms Jay Gatz, the original ‘roughneck’ that Gatsby spends so much energy trying to conceal”.
Even though Nick’s conception of Gatsby is full of doubts and second thoughts from the beginning to the end, he always remains unsure whether the rumours and stories about his new neighbour’s past and true profession hold some truth or not. Right in the beginning when Nick introduces himself and looses the first and probably most important words on Jay Gatsby and his tragic future, the picture of the German Gatsby becomes prestressed. Instead of the expression “all right”, which is a valuation with no greater meaning, Nick uses the adjective “untadelig” to describe how his neighbour turned out in the end. This description can be hardly taken as light as the original one for it is a moral, maybe even a legal, judgement and it furthermore implies that Gatsby must have at least ran danger to become reproachable, must have done something to question his faultlessness.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the challenges of literary translation and defines the scope of comparing two distinct German translations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous novel.
2. A Common Roughneck: This section analyzes how translations alter the ambiguity of Gatsby's character, particularly focusing on how German terminology shifts his portrayal from a mysterious figure to someone seemingly more morally defined.
3. The perfect Son in Law: The chapter examines the discrepancy between Gatsby’s aristocratic aspirations and his working-class roots as reflected in different translations of descriptive language used by characters like Meyer Wolfshiem.
4. Conclusion: The summary of the analysis confirms that minor translation differences can cumulatively influence character perception, even if no intentional pattern is behind the shifts.
4.2 Translation as Interpretation: This section theoretically situates the act of translation as an inescapable form of interpretation, highlighting the translator's difficult role in capturing nuances beyond mere surface information.
5. Bibliography: Lists the primary and secondary sources used for the analysis, including various editions of the novel and critical literature on translation studies.
Keywords
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, literary translation, character perception, Walter Schürenberg, Bettina Abarbanell, linguistic ambiguity, interpretation, literary critique, comparative analysis, semantics, translation studies, characterization, narrative perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary goal of this research paper?
The paper aims to analyze whether slight differences between the original English text of "The Great Gatsby" and its German translations significantly influence the reader's perception of the main character, Jay Gatsby.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the subjectivity of literary translation, the preservation of authorial ambiguity, the impact of word choice on characterization, and the inevitable interpretive nature of translating literary works.
Which translation versions are being compared?
The paper compares the original novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald with the 1953 translation by Walter Schürenberg and the 2006 translation by Bettina Abarbanell.
What methodology is used in the study?
The study uses a comparative textual analysis of 123 selected relevant passages from the original text and its two German translations to identify and evaluate stylistic and semantic aberrations.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body focuses on specific character-driven instances—such as Gatsby's introduction, his social interactions, and his criminal connections—to show how translation shifts can color the reader's view of his identity.
What keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include literary translation, "The Great Gatsby", semantic nuance, character perception, and comparative literature.
How does the author view the concept of a "literary translation"?
The author concludes that there is no such thing as a pure "literary translation," arguing that every translation is essentially an interpretation that favors certain connotations over others.
Does the author find evidence of a deliberate pattern in the translations?
No, the author suggests it is irrational to assume a pattern of deliberate meaning-altering; rather, the differences arise from the translator's attempt to best represent the meaning within specific linguistic contexts.
- Citation du texte
- Florian Arleth (Auteur), 2009, The many faces of Jay Gatsby, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/149569
