Title

The Gaze of a Hybrid-cultural Translator: A Discussion of Liu Na’ou’s Introduction to and Transformation of Colonial Literature

Author

Leung, Mo-ling Rebecca

Genre

Article  

Pages

459-502

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

Liu Na’ou, hybrid-cultural, translation, gaze, colonial literature

Abstract

        Liu Na’ou (1905-1940) was born in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation period. Pursuing his high school education in Japan, he proceeded to learn French at Aurora University in Shanghai after graduation. These experiences added to his colonial background and “multi-modern” perspective, which embraced the linguistic and cultural features of Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and China. Through extensive exposure to a broad range of modernist works as well as his translation of modernist novels by Japanese authors and Paul Morand (1888-1976), Liu Na’ou adopted the two approaches of gaze. This, in turn, inspired him to emerge as a hybrid-cultural middleman. Based on this foundation, he continued to write novels that reflected various degrees of colonialism, showing a different gendered gaze than that found in the West and Japan. This paper examines the development of Liu Na’ou’s translations, particularly with regard to the manifestation of gendered gaze and colonial gaze. In addition, the paper discusses the significance and impact of Liu Na’ou as a hybrid-cultural translator.