Abstract:
The following thesis mainly focuses on the Italian translation of a Chinese web novel titled Xinghan canlan, xingshen-zhizai (星汉灿烂，幸甚至哉, Light and Joy in the Milky Way), which is part of the Web Literature phenomenon.
In China, Web Literature is a rather recent, second-rate literary phenomenon under constant evolution, that up to now has no equivalent in the West . Reading Web Literature in China is very easy: as long as one has an Internet connection at their disposal, they can rely on a vast choice of websites and apps to read novels that are meant to be read on a device. Furthermore, every website or app provides their readers with a broad set of literary genres. Thanks to its wide-scale accessibility, Web Literature has therefore been showed a warm welcome by readers, to such an extent that many Chinese people are now fully accustomed to reading on their smartphone or computer. However, there are literary critics who disregard Web Literature, asserting that it cannot be compared to traditional, printed literature.
In the three sections that make up the current dissertation, in addition to the Italian translation of Xinghan canlan, xingshen-zhizai, there will also be an analytical overview of Chinese Web Literature and a translation commentary provided.
The first section consists of an analysis of the Chinese Web Literature’s distinguishing features and the developing processes. Particular attention has been given to the definition of the phenomenon, as well as to its genres, with an insight on the journey through the space-time genre. The role of Internet writers will be observed in relation to the differences between print literature writers and the former, and to the relationship that Internet writers have with their readers. Finally, this first section offers a brief presentation of the aforementioned novel, its plot, peculiarities, fortune, and author, Guanxin ze luan (关心则乱), whose real name is Zheng Yi.
The second section offers more details on the Italian translation of Xinghan canlan, xingshen-zhizai. Even though this novel is made up of five books, the translation only concerns chapters 134, 135 and 136, found within the fourth book , titled Sheng nian bu man bai, chang huai qian sui you (Being born with less that a hundred years will cause a thousand years of worries).
The third and final section consists of a commentary which aims to describe the process of translating, firstly, the preliminary analysis of the source text, then the definition of macrostrategy and finally, the illustration of the main translation problems encountered at the linguistic level.
