Author(s)

Liu Jingxuan ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan Province, 411100, China

Corresponding Author

Liu Jingxuan

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the recreation of the image of Sal Paradise and the Beat Generation across three Chinese translations (1990, 2001, 2006) of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Employing a multi-level analytical framework, it reconceptualizes translation and its effects at textual, paratextual, and contextual tiers. At the textual level, it applies Hallidayan Systemic Functional Linguistics to examine how specific linguistic strategies—realized through the experiential, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions— construct Sal's identity. At the paratextual level, it analyzes how narrative (re)framing strategies, such as front cover design and prefatorial articles, guide reader reception and recast the rebels' image. Finally, at the contextual level, it explores how socio-historical and ideological factors motivated these translational and paratextual choices, ultimately explaining the evolution of three distinct images of the Beats in China.

KEYWORDS

On the Road; Beat Generation; Systemic Functional Linguistics; Paratext; Translation

CITE THIS PAPER

Liu Jingxuan, Rebels or Heroes: Recreating the Image of Beats in Chinese Translations of on the Road. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2025) Vol. 8: 59-69. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2025.080410.

REFERENCES

[1] Kerouac, J., 1957. On the Road [M]. New York: Penguin.
[2] Wang, Y., 2008. Manipulation in Translation: A Comparative Study of Two Chinese Versions of On the Road [D]. Master's Thesis of Beijing Jiaotong University.
[3] Chen, Y., 2019. A Comparative Study on Two Chinese Versions of On the Road from the Perspective of Skopos Theory [D]. Master's Thesis of China University of Geosciences.
[4] Cai, R. & Chen, J., 2022. Domestication and Foreignization in the Chinese Retranslations of On the Road [J]. JinGu Creative Literature, 40(2): 107-110.
[5] Zhang, X., 2011. An Imagological Approach to Translation Studies: A Case Study of the Chinese Translation of Kerouac's On the Road [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Publishing House.
[6] Tao, Y. & He, X., 1990. On the Road [M]. Guilin: Lijiang Publishing House.
[7] Wen, C., 2001. On the Road [M]. Guilin: Lijiang Publishing House.
[8] Wang, Y., 2006. On the Road [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Publishing House.
[9] Halliday, M. A. K., 1978. Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning [M]. London: Edward Arnold.
[10] Thompson, G., 2004. Introducing Functional Grammar [M]. 2nd ed. London: Hodder Education.
[11] Halliday, M. A. K., 1970. Functional diversity in language as seen from a consideration of modality and mood in English [J]. Foundations of Language, 6(3): 322-361.
[12] Halliday, M. A. K. & Hasan, R., 1976. Cohesion in English [M]. London: Longman.
[13] Genette, G., 1997. Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation [M]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[14] Matthews, N. & Moody, N. (eds), 2007. Judging a Book by Its Cover: Fans, Publishers, Designers, and the Marketing of Fiction [M]. Aldershot: Ashgate.

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