English Translations of Shuihu Zhuan

This book offers a novel perspective on the intersection of translation and narration in literary translation by investigating how three translations of Shuihu Zhuan present the original narrative mode to the target readership in terms of four narrative elements—voice, commentary, point of view and motif—in different periods of history. It not only validates but also quantifies the differences in strategy-making patterns between translators, as well as between different narratological categories. The established theoretical frameworks (including a narrative-descriptive model and a sociological explanatory framework) and the data collected may provide methodological and empirical support for further studies on shifts of narrative features in translation. The tendencies manifested by different translators and identified by the study may also shed new light on the teaching and learning of translation skills.