A Contrastive Analysis of Two English Versions of HeTangYueSe from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics

Prose is a common style among the literature. It has an extensive content and flexible structure. The major feature of prose is shape dispersing but spirit concentrating. Therefore, expressing the original artistic charm is the highest standard for prose translation. Traditional translation emphasizes the equivalence on language and structure between the translation and the original text. Reception Aesthetics, as a new methodology, support the view that prose translation should express the original romance charm so that the reader can experience the equivalent beauty. In the process of translation, a translator not only represent the original meaning and content but also the original emotion. Therefore, it is essential for a translator to possess a profound background knowledge and grasp the essential connotation exactly. On the basis of this fact, this paper employs an important concept in Reception Aesthetics, horizon of expectation, to demonstrate the feasibility and importance of it in prose translation. Two English versions by Yang Xianyi and Zhu Chunshen about HeTangYueSe are analyzed, and a comparison are made between the two translations on different levels in this paper. This paper tends to make a comparative study of the two English versions by Yang Xianyi and Zhu Chunshen from the perspective of Reception Aesthetics