Translation and the Making of Originals

In this ground-breaking work, Karen Emmerich challenges the assumption that original or source texts have a fixed identity. The textual makeup of a 'source text' is no more stable than its meaning. Originals are not given but made and translation is a process by which foreign works of literature are transformed into 'originals' through the creation of the supposedly derivative works we call translations. Karen Emmerich establishes this argument by bringing recent works in the field of textual scholarship to bear on discussions of translation. She explores multiple forms of textual instability and the translation strategies that have and can be employed in dealing with them. The scope of the discussion is broad covering ancient works, oral works, unfinished or fragmentary works, multilingual works, and works that straddle the divide between translation and 'original' creation, drawn from a range of languages, periods, genres, and literary traditions. This timely book also engages such issues as the politics and ethics of translation, how aesthetic categories and market forces contribute to the establishment and promotion of particular 'originals,' and the role translation plays in the formation, re-formation, and deformation of national and international literary canons. This is essential reading for students and scholars working in the areas of literary translation studies, comparative literature and world literature.