Variation Theory and the Reception of Chinese Literature in the English-speaking World

In his article Variation Theory and Reception of Chinese Literature in the English-Speaking World Shunqing Cao introduces variation theory he developed and suggests that the framework can be applied in studying the dissemination and reception of Chinese literature in the English-speaking world. Cao argues that cultural and literary differences produce variations in literary exchanges among different cultures and variation theory concentrates on these variations. With unique perspectives on variation in translation, cultural misreading, and domestication, variation theory is a useful theoretical framework and methodology for the study of the reception of Chinese literature in the English-speaking world

The discourse of Chinese literary theory and the dialogue between Western literary theory and Chinese literary

Some people believe that the Discourse of Chinese literary theory merely covers the categories such as qi(Airs), fenggu (Wind and Bone), shen-yun (Spiritual Resonance), bi and xing (Analogy and Evocative Images), miao-wu (Marvelous Enlightenment) and yi-jing (Artistic Moods) etc. However, from a culture prospective we analyzed the traditional Chinese Literary theory and sort out that the Discourse of Chinese Literary theory is not the above-mentioned categories but its own way to express in literature, just as the ancient Chinese put it” What is written doesn’t give the fullness of what is/was said; what is/was said does not give thefullness of the concepts in the mind”. Therefore, the Chinese Scholarshave strongly believed that the only way to convey meaning is to“establish the Images”. It is this discourse that has been highlightedin the Chinese Literary theory. On the basis of the former research thepresent paper aims at furthering the study of dialogue between WesternLiterary theory and Chinese Literary Theory by making it more specificand systematic. And four basic principles and five methods of startingdialogue between the two are put forward as the result