11 research outputs found
Teaching Shakespeare to young ESL learners in Hong Kong
Teaching Shakespeare to young ESL learners can be one of the most challenging tasks for English teachers and parents. Because of the difficult vocabulary and unusual language, Shakespeare is often left unread and unexplored both in school and at home. With a view to helping children overcome reading obstacles and learn to appreciate Shakespeare and his plays, the Hong Kong Public Libraries and I co-hosted a weekly Shakespeare teensâ reading club for K12 learners from local grammar schools. Four Shakespearean plays were introduced to about twenty Cantonese child participants who had no or little experience reading or studying Shakespeareâs works. To enhance imagination and interactions among child readers, various learner-centred, interactive, and multimedia pedagogical activities such as the readerâs theatre, movie screenings, creative writing tasks, comics reading and drawing, etc. were used in the reading club. In this paper, I will share teaching ideas and reading activities that make Shakespeare understandable and enjoyable for ESL young readers
Female Cross-Dressing in Chinese Literature Classics and their English Versions
Cross-dressing, as a cultural practice, suggests gender ambiguity
and allows freedom of self expression. Yet, it may also serve to reaffirm
ideological stereotypes and the binary distinctions between male and female,
masculine and feminine, homosexual and heterosexual. To explore the nature
and function of cross-dressing in Chinese and Western cultures, this paper
analyzes the portrayals of cross-dressing heroines in two Chinese stories:
ăæšæšæšă The Ballad of Mulan (500â600 A.D.), and ăæąæąæąæąæąæąć°ăThe Butterfly
Lovers (850â880 A.D.). Distorted representations in the English translated texts
are also explored
Transgressing the gender borders: the subversive re-inscription of Eve in Philip Pullmanâs His Dark Materials
As a gendered rewriter and a gender boundary transgressor, Philip Pullman uses the Holy Bible as a âpre-textâ (Stephen and McCallum 1998: 2) when writing His Dark Materials (1995 â 2000). He boldly challenges the masculine discourse in the Bible, crossing the oppressive and insufficient gender boundary propagated in the Book of Genesis. With the objective to examine how Pullman breaks down gender boundaries, in this paper I will first re-read the creation story of Genesis of the Holy Bible and discuss Eveâs sexist portrayal. Then, I will compare the traditional, biased representation of Eve with the portrayal of the new and perfected Eve, namely the female protagonist â Lyra Belacqua in Pullmanâs His Dark Materials. Through examining the re-inscription of Eve (as well as Adam) in Pullmanâs re-version, the paper will reveal ways in which stereotypical gender implications are played out in the Holy [email protected] Wing Bo Tso, PhD, is a lecturer in English and Applied Linguistics who teaches postgraduate
and undergraduate courses at the Open University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include
language arts, childrenâs fantasy, gender studies and translation studies. She has published articles in various refereed journals, including The International Journal of Early Childhood, Libri & Liberi: Journal of Research on Childrenâs Literature and Culture, and SPECTRUM: NCUE
Studies in Language, Literature, Translation and Interpretation.The Open University of Hong Kong2294
Darstellung des Monströs-Femininen in ausgewÀhlten Werken von C. S. Lewis, Roald Dahl und Philip Pullman
This paper examines the representation of female antagonists in three popular childrenâs books â C. S. Lewisâs Narnia books, Roald Dahlâs The Witches, and Philip Pullmanâs The Amber Spyglass â by referencing Kristevaâs theory of abjection and Creedâs discussion of the monstrous-feminine. In both the Narnia series and The Witches, female antagonists are simplified, stereotyped and negatively portrayed as evil figures that threaten the stability of a well-ordered community. They are represented as the abject that blurs the borderlines between life and death, human and non-human, masculine and feminine. At the end of both narratives, the monstrous-feminine is ejected, eliminated, and the âpurificationâ brings relief and a vengeful pleasure. In Pullmanâs book, the harpies are represented as monsters that can be reasoned with. They are honoured as generous and âGracious Wingsâ. Yet, while the attempt of positive reinvention of the monstrous-feminine is noticeable, they play only a secondary role acknowledged by the symbolic order â the monstrous-feminine stereotype is nevertheless perpetuated.Rad istraĆŸuje naÄine prikazivanja ĆŸenskih likova u ulozi protivnika u trima popularnim knjiĆŸevnim pripovijedima za djecu â u ciklusu Chronicles of Narnia [Kronike iz Narnije] C. S. Lewisa te u romanima The Witches [VjeĆĄtice] Roalda Dahla i The Amber Spyglass [Jantarni dalekozor] Philipa Pullmana â pozivajuÄi se na teoriju abjekcije Julije Kristeve i na raspravu o ÄudoviĆĄno-ĆŸenskom Barbare Creed. I u ciklusu o Narniji i u romanu VjeĆĄtice, ĆŸenski su protivniÄki likovi pojednostavljeni, stereotipni i negativno okarakterizirani kao zle figure koje prijete stabilnosti dobro organiziranoga druĆĄtva. Prikazane su kao abjekti koji nejasnima Äine granice izmeÄu ĆŸivota i smrti, ljudskoga i ne-ljudskoga, muĆĄkoga i ĆŸenskoga. Na kraju obiju pripovijedi ÄudoviĆĄno-ĆŸensko se izbacuje, eliminira, a âproÄiĆĄÄenjeâ donosi olakĆĄanje i osvetniÄko zadovoljstvo. U Pullmanovoj su knjizi harpije prikazane kao ÄudoviĆĄta s kojima se moĆŸe razborito razgovarati. Äasti ih se kao velikoduĆĄne i imenom âDobrohotna Krila.â Pa ipak, premda je uoÄljiv pokuĆĄaj ponovnoga uspostavljanja pozitivnoga pojma ÄudoviĆĄno-ĆŸenskoga, takvi likovi igraju tek drugorazrednu ulogu koju im nameÄe simboliÄki poredak, a stereotip se ipak i dalje odrĆŸava.AnknĂŒpfend an die Abjektionstheorie von Julia Kristeva und an die Diskussion ĂŒber das Monströs-Feminine bei Barbara Creed werden in diesem Beitrag die Darstellungsweisen der Frauengestalten als Kontrahentinnen in drei populĂ€ren kinderliterarischen ErzĂ€hlwerken â im Romanzyklus Chronicles of Narnia [Die Chroniken von Narnia] von C. S. Lewis sowie in den Romanen The Witches [Hexen Hexen] von Roald Dahl und The Amber Spyglass [Das Bernstein-Teleskop] von Philip Pullman â erörtert. Sowohl im Narnia-Zyklus als auch im Roman Hexen Hexen werden diese Frauengestalten auf eine vereinfachte, stereotype und negative Weise als Verkörperung des Bösen dargestellt, die die StabilitĂ€t einer ansonsten gut organisierten Gesellschaft bedrohen. Sie werden als âAbjekteâ dargestellt, die die Grenze zwischen Leben und Tod, dem Menschlichen und dem Unmenschlichen, dem MĂ€nnlichen und dem Weiblichen, verwischen. Am Schluss beider ErzĂ€hlwerke wird das Monströs- Feminine ausgegrenzt bzw. eliminiert, wobei diese als âPurifikationâ empfundene Aktion das GefĂŒhl der Erleichterung und Zufriedenheit hervorruft. In Pullmans Werk dagegen werden Harpyien als Monster dargestellt, mit denen dennoch eine vernĂŒnftige Kommunikation möglich ist. Man verehrt sie als groĂzĂŒgige Wesen, weshalb man sie u.a. als âSanfte FlĂŒgelâ bezeichnet. Obwohl darin der Versuch einer Wiederherstellung des positiven Begriffs vom Monströs-Femininen zu erblicken ist, spielen solche Gestalten jedoch nur eine â von der symbolischen Ordnung zugewiesene â zweitklassige Rolle, so dass das Stereotyp trotzdem erhalten bleibt
Delimit Imagination? A Comparison of Unabridged and Abridged Versions of Peter Pan
Adaptations of English literature have thrived in the last decade to cope with the ever-expanding market of teaching English. The reading public seems to endorse it as a pedagogic device to increase childrenâs interest in reading and improve their language. Whether it has increased language proficiency remains a matter of debate. Our main concern, however, is the cultivation interest in literature through abridgement and to impact young learnersâ imagination. At first glance, abridgement seems to open the door to the world of the classics so that children may have first-hand experience of literature, yet to achieve its ultimate purpose one needs imagination vis-Ă -vis the reading text. Does the abridgement which favours less demanding verbal dexterity operate at the expense of childrenâs imagination?Pertaining to the question, we conducted a comparative study of J. M. Barrieâs Peter Pan (1911), the unabridged version, and G. Clemenâs abridged version (2000), their contexts and lexicons, in particular the deletion of some famous lines and passages, the replacement of some significant expressions and, eventually, how all these impact childrenâs imagination. While it can be argued that the abridged text makes reading easier for learners, its characters have largely been flattened and the recurring theme of not growing up has been disparaged. The interplay of sexuality becomes banal. A visible example is the omission of the poignant start âAll children, except one, grow upâ.Our assertion is that abridgement should be executed and refined not only for the advantage of lightening the linguistic burden but, more importantly, of nurturing the imagination in the young minds. To unleash their imagination, light but purposeful and exuberant reading with a fine adjustment of authenticity and aesthetics is deemed necessary and beneficial. Ultimately, children will improve their language and develop a life-long interest in English literature
Zatrta modernost spolov: ĆĄtudija prevoda Herberta Gilesa (1845 â 1935) Pu Songlingovega dela »Strange Stories From A Chinese Studio« iz poznega Qinga
Translation studies in English and Chinese has long been of great interest to academics. Yet, Chinese scholars who have translation training and linguistic expertise are often found to âgive excessive attention to listing facts and probing linguistic matters, to the neglect of the cultural and contextual considerations that have given rise to translation in China in the first placeâ (Lin, 2002, p. 170). Much emphasis has been placed on translation strategies, while translation âin connection with power and patronageâ (Lefereve, 1992, p. 10) is overlooked, leaving âexisting ideologyâ or âexisting poeticsâ (Lefereve, 1992, p. 10), such as gender unexplored. In light of this, this paper attempts to take the literary and cultural approach and focus on examining the gender ideologies in Pu Songlingâs Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740) and Herbert Gilesâ English rendition (1880). By comparing the source and target texts, the paper reveals that in many of Pu Songlingâs stories, spirit-freelove and sexual pleasure are celebrated. A witty parody of the imitative structures of gender can be found in Pu Songlingâs âPainted Skinâ too. Unfortunately, to a large extent, such transgressive gender views are repressed in Gilesâ English rendition.Prevodoslovne razprave iz in v angleĆĄÄino oz. kitajĆĄÄino so v akademskem svetu ĆŸe dolgo aktualne. Vseeno pa ĆĄe vedno prevladuje mnenje, da kitajski prevajalci, ki so sicer opravili prevajalsko uvajanje in imajo tudi jezikoslovno znanje, vse preveÄ pozornosti namenjajo nizanju dejstev in jezikoslovnim problemom in tako zanemarjajo kulturne in kontekstualne pomisleke, ki so v osnovi spodbudili prevajanja na Kitajskem (Lin, 2002, str. 170). Velik poudarek je na strategijah prevajanja, medtem ko je spregledano prevajanje, ki je âpovezano z moÄjo in pokroviteljstvomâ (Lefereve, 1992, str. 10). S tem so spregledane in ostajajo neraziskane obstojeÄe ideologije, kot je na primer vpraĆĄanje spolov, ter poetika (Lefereve, 1992). V tem kontekstu se tokratna raziskava posveÄa prouÄitvi ideologij o spolih v Pu Songlingovem delu Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (1740) in angleĆĄki prevod Herberta Gilesa (1880). Primerjava izvornega in prevedenega teksta razkriva, da sta v veliki veÄini zgodb avtorja Pu Songlinga moÄno opevana neduhovna ljubezen in seksualno zadovoljstvo. Duhovito parodijo imitativnih struktur spolov najdemo tudi v Pu Songlingovem delu »Barvna polt«. Na ĆŸalost pa Gilesov prevod v angleĆĄÄino v precejĆĄnji meri zatre transgresivne poglede na spol
Losing Sight, Gaining Insight: Blindness and the Romantic Vision in Grimmâs âRapunzelâ
In Brothersâ Grimmâs fairy tales, the motif of blindness occurs quite frequently, each time with a different symbolic meaning. In âHansel and Gretelâ, blindness is represented as a body deformity, an abject feature of the red-eyed, half-blind cannibalistic witch who lives in the candy house in the middle of the forest, while in âCinderellaâ, blindness becomes more: a brutal punishment for wrongdoings, such as when: the wickedly unkind stepsistersâ eyes are pecked out by pigeons as they are on the way to the wedding of the Cinderella and her handsome prince. Yet, in âRapunzelâ, blindness is not meant to be an abject feature nor a direct punishment. Rather, it opens the door to the Romantic vision and spirit. Through studying the earlier versions of the Rapunzel story and the Grimmâs later version, this paper explores how blindness represents the limitations of logic and reason and, through embracing the beautiful power of the female sensibility, welcomes the rebirth of insight, faith and Romantic sentiments
Critical discourse analysis and translation: a comparative study of discourse and ideology in translated versions of Ibsen's A doll's house
Chinese readers have shown excessive interest in Ibsenâs A Dollâs House (1879) since progressive Chinese intellectuals such as Lu Xun (1881â1936) and Hu Shi (1891â1962) translated and introduced the play to China in the early twentieth century. However, until today, not many have noticed or mentioned issues that could arise from translation. While Chinese scholars vigorously study Ibsen and modern Chinese drama, few care to read the original play (in Dano-Norwegian) or the English translation, let alone comparing them with the Chinese version(s), which most Chinese readers actually read. In view of this, we look into three translations of A Dollâs House â namely Peter Wattsâs English version, Pan Jiaxunâs Chinese version, and Cao Kaiyuanâs Taiwanese version. By using the critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach, we discover that the discourse and power struggle of Nora and Torvald in Wattsâs and Panâs versions differ in various interesting ways. In this article, we will use the conversation between Nora and Torvald in the last scene of Act III to demonstrate how omissions, additions and alterations brought about by translations can change the discourse and create different ideological effects on gender relations and identities (192 words)