@article{ART002956062},
author={Qian, Tony D.},
title={Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives},
journal={Journal of Chinese Language and Literature},
issn={1225-083X},
year={2023},
number={92},
pages={331-365},
doi={10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331}
TY - JOUR
AU - Qian, Tony D.
TI - Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives
JO - Journal of Chinese Language and Literature
PY - 2023
VL - null
IS - 92
PB - Chinese Literary Society Of Yeong Nam
SP - 331
EP - 365
SN - 1225-083X
AB - James Legge(1815~1897), best known for his translations of the Chinese Confucian and Daoist classics, spent thirty years as a missionary at Malacca and Hong Kong before assuming the first professorship of Chinese at Oxford. Some of his lesser-known works published in Hong Kong include two “brief accounts”(jilüe 紀畧) of the biblical stories of Joseph(Yuese jilüe, 1852) and Abraham(Yabolahan jilüe, 1857), which rewrite the original narratives in the style of Chinese fiction. Ostensibly meant to broaden scripture’s appeal to Chinese readers, Legge’s “novelizations” nevertheless hew so closely to the biblical text that they are largely translations, albeit with some additions and omissions. This paper analyzes these two works in the context of Protestant missionary debates in the mid- to late nineteenth century on how to proselytize the Chinese. It shows how the works are written to appeal to both learned and popular audiences, and how they extract the biblical stories from their original narrative arcs in order to underscore their socio-ethical teachings while downplaying their theological implications.
KW - James Legge;Bible translations;fiction;nineteenth-century Protestant missions;literature and religion;Christian and Confucian ethics
DO - 10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
ER -
Qian, Tony D.. (2023). Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives. Journal of Chinese Language and Literature, 92, 331-365.
Qian, Tony D.. 2023, "Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives", Journal of Chinese Language and Literature, no.92, pp.331-365. Available from: doi:10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
Qian, Tony D. "Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives" Journal of Chinese Language and Literature 92 pp.331-365 (2023) : 331.
Qian, Tony D.. Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives. 2023; 92 : 331-365. Available from: doi:10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
Qian, Tony D.. "Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives" Journal of Chinese Language and Literature no.92(2023) : 331-365.doi: 10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
Qian, Tony D.. Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives. Journal of Chinese Language and Literature, 92, 331-365. doi: 10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
Qian, Tony D.. Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives. Journal of Chinese Language and Literature. 2023; 92 331-365. doi: 10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
Qian, Tony D.. Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives. 2023; 92 : 331-365. Available from: doi:10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331
Qian, Tony D.. "Translation and Proselytization: James Legge’s Novelizations of Biblical Narratives" Journal of Chinese Language and Literature no.92(2023) : 331-365.doi: 10.15792/clsyn..92.202304.331