Guirao, Marta; (2002) David Lodge's campus novels in Spanish translation: a comparative study of genre and intertextuality. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), University of London.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the inter-related concepts of intertextuality and genre in translation, with special reference to how David Lodge's campus novels Changing Places [1975], Small World [1984], and Nice Work [1988] have been translated in Spain since 1977. This is done through a descriptive comparison of source texts and target texts, along two lines of investigation: generic intertextuality and specific intertextuality. In terms of generic intertextuality, Lodge's novels are linked to a line of texts that constitute the Anglo-American subgenre of "campus novels". In Lodge's novels this generic connection is sustained by his parodic depiction of academia and by the use of convention ali sed textual and narrative structures that elicit certain responses from readers and influence their interpretation of the novels. Specific intertextuality, on the other hand, is generated in his novels by way of specific references to the traditions and canonical texts of English literature. These references function as a source of meaning, and are designed to bring certain connotations to readers' minds, also shaping their perception of the novels. This intertextual framework, as well as cultural elements such as the parody and the university settings, raise particular problems for the Spanish translator, who is faced with literary and cultural referents that are unfamiliar to the average Spanish reader. The difficulty is only intensified by the fact that the campus novel has no similar counterpart in the Spanish literary system. Ultimately, in order to represent these cultural elements for the target reader, the translator must choose among a variety of translation strategies and case-by-case solutions. These decisions are necessarily also influenced by extra-textual factors such as translation "norms" and awareness of reader expectations. My case-study comparison and analysis of translators' behaviour as regards the generic and specific intertextual features of Lodge's novels leads to broad conclusions not only about the effect of certain translation choices on these features, on the overall character of the novels, and on their reception by target readers, but also on the reasons underlying translators' strategies and how far they may be said to respond to normative or other constraints.

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