First published in 1915, Franz Kafka's novella Metamorphosis tells the story of Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself transformed into a large insect. Though the cause of the transformation is never revealed, the novella focuses on Samsa's struggle to adjust to his new identity. 
Between the 1920s and 30s, Kafka's works were published and translated (from the original German) and are considered iconic works of the twentieth century. Kafka emphasized the absurdity of existence, the conflicts that come with authoritarian power, and the alienating experience of modern life, which resonated with public after World War I. Though we can certainly find parallels between Samsa and Meursault's stories, Camus acknowledged that Kafka's work represented a description of the absurd condition, but that Kafka failed as an absurd writer because his characters and his work maintain a sense of hope.
Take a look at the four translations below to the first line of Kafka's Metamorphosis. For each, provide a brief observation (can be a few sentences or a list- include in your post) of the following:
- diction (connotation/denotation)
- syntax
- imagery/details
- structure
- any other stylist/figurative elements
*Remember that the first line of The Stranger (or The Outsider) is sometimes translated as "Maman died today.", while another translation might read "Mother died today." (Here's a great article from The New Yorker about this: "Lost in Translation" )
Translations:
#1:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
#2:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
#3:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
Between the 1920s and 30s, Kafka's works were published and translated (from the original German) and are considered iconic works of the twentieth century. Kafka emphasized the absurdity of existence, the conflicts that come with authoritarian power, and the alienating experience of modern life, which resonated with public after World War I. Though we can certainly find parallels between Samsa and Meursault's stories, Camus acknowledged that Kafka's work represented a description of the absurd condition, but that Kafka failed as an absurd writer because his characters and his work maintain a sense of hope.
Take a look at the four translations below to the first line of Kafka's Metamorphosis. For each, provide a brief observation (can be a few sentences or a list- include in your post) of the following:
- diction (connotation/denotation)
- syntax
- imagery/details
- structure
- any other stylist/figurative elements
*Remember that the first line of The Stranger (or The Outsider) is sometimes translated as "Maman died today.", while another translation might read "Mother died today." (Here's a great article from The New Yorker about this: "Lost in Translation" )
Translations:
#1:Gregory Samsa woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself changed into a giant bug.
#2:When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning he found he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug.
#3:As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
#4:One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin.
Original: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
After analyzing each, respond to the following questions in a well-developed (2-3 paragraphs) response- think about the translations as a whole: How does the word choice, syntax, punctuation, and imagery shift in each affect meaning? Is one more effective than another? Why? What does this exercise bring up about the difficulty of reading translated texts? How do different translations effect the tone of the sentence?
Your post is awesome, I like it. Keep it up. Please write something about John Donne also.
ReplyDeleteDo you need something, Click here to see me!!