TY - JOUR
T1 - "in a Sea of Wonders:" Eastern Europe and Transylvania in the Irish-Language Translation of Dracula
AU - De Brún, Sorcha
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Sorcha De Brún, published by Sciendo 2020.
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - The publication of the Irish-language translation of Dracula in 1933 by Seán Ó Cuirrín was a landmark moment in the history of Irish-language letters. This article takes as its starting point the idea that language is a central theme in Dracula. However, the representation of Transylvania in the translation marked a departure from Bram Stoker's original. A masterful translation, one of its most salient features is Ó Cuirrín's complex use of the Irish language, particularly in relation to Eastern European language, character, and landscapes. The article examines Ó Cuirrín's prose and will explore how his approaches to concrete and abstract elements of the novel affect plot, character, and narration. The first section explores how Dracula is treated by Ó Cuirrín in the Irish translation and how this impacts the Count's persona and his identity as Transylvanian. Through Ó Cuirrín's use of idiom, alliteration, and proverb, it will be shown how Dracula's character is reimagined, creating a more nuanced narrative than the original. The second section shows how Ó Cuirrín translates Jonathan Harker's point of view in relation to Dracula. It shows that, through the use of figurative language, Ó Cuirrín develops the gothic element to Dracula's character. The article then examines Ó Cuirrín's translations of Transylvanian landscapes and soundscapes. It will show how Ó Cuirrín's translation matched Stoker's original work to near perfection, but with additional poetic techniques, and how Ó Cuirrín created a soundscape of horror throughout the entirety of the translation.
AB - The publication of the Irish-language translation of Dracula in 1933 by Seán Ó Cuirrín was a landmark moment in the history of Irish-language letters. This article takes as its starting point the idea that language is a central theme in Dracula. However, the representation of Transylvania in the translation marked a departure from Bram Stoker's original. A masterful translation, one of its most salient features is Ó Cuirrín's complex use of the Irish language, particularly in relation to Eastern European language, character, and landscapes. The article examines Ó Cuirrín's prose and will explore how his approaches to concrete and abstract elements of the novel affect plot, character, and narration. The first section explores how Dracula is treated by Ó Cuirrín in the Irish translation and how this impacts the Count's persona and his identity as Transylvanian. Through Ó Cuirrín's use of idiom, alliteration, and proverb, it will be shown how Dracula's character is reimagined, creating a more nuanced narrative than the original. The second section shows how Ó Cuirrín translates Jonathan Harker's point of view in relation to Dracula. It shows that, through the use of figurative language, Ó Cuirrín develops the gothic element to Dracula's character. The article then examines Ó Cuirrín's translations of Transylvanian landscapes and soundscapes. It will show how Ó Cuirrín's translation matched Stoker's original work to near perfection, but with additional poetic techniques, and how Ó Cuirrín created a soundscape of horror throughout the entirety of the translation.
KW - an Gúm
KW - Bram Stoker
KW - Dracula
KW - gothic
KW - Irish-language translation
KW - Seán Ó Cuirrín
KW - Transylvania
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096393771&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2478/ausp-2020-0006
DO - 10.2478/ausp-2020-0006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85096393771
SN - 2067-5151
VL - 12
SP - 70
EP - 83
JO - Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica
JF - Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica
IS - 1
ER -