Translation, Reception and Canonization of The Art of War: Reviving Ancient Chinese Strategic Culture (Routledge Advances in Translation and Interpreting Studies)

By: Tian Luo

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Synopsis: The Art of War by Sun Tzu is an ancient yet invaluable Chinese military classic that is still relevant today. This book presents a systematic and in-depth investigation into the translation and reception of The Art of War in the western strategic culture. Aided by three self-built corpora, this study adopts a mixed method including both qualitative and quantitative analysis, and aking takes both the core text and its paratexts of The Art of War into consideration. This study highlights the significance of proper approaches to translating culture in the core text and effective measures of culture reconstruction in paratexts. It is revealed that the translated Sun Tzu has undergone three major stages before it is gradually welcomed and re-canonized in western discourse. The findings bring into light the multiple factors that contribute to the incorporation of Sun Tzu’s strategic wisdom into western culture. For scholars interested in translation studies, (critical) discourse analysis as well as strategic studies, this book provides fresh insights and new perspectives.