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Abstract: The thesis explores otherness in A Game of Thrones, a fantasy novel written by George R. R. Martin. The research is possible because of the cultural and social diversity incorporated into the novel. Furthermore, the attention is paid not only to male but also female characters. Martin portrays otherness through exotic cultures, illegitimate children, untypical female and male characters, disability, etc. In A Game of Thrones, the story unfolds from the point of view of several characters. Since the majority of these characters are members of one (or more) out-groups, it is possible to analyze outsiders' position in a fantasy world governed by the norms set by the dominant society. The thesis begins with the theory of fantasy, focusing on the origins of the term and its use in literature. The authors that contributed to the fantasy genre are mentioned and their actions discussed. A connection is established between fantasy and history, followed by a short summary of the events in the Middle Ages. The literary term 'otherness' is introduced. Several types of otherness are listed and explained – national, ethnic and cultural otherness; gender; and disability. A short summary of the events in the novel is added. In the second part of the thesis, the otherness within the novel is analyzed. The emphasis is on how the out-groups and their members react to the norms set by the dominant society.
Keywords: fantasy, fantasy novel, otherness, history, A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin
Published in DKUM: 25.09.2018; Views: 2052; Downloads: 279
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Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to determine a comparative stylistic model that can be used in literary translation for analysing texts of a specific genre: alternative world fiction. The model consists of two parts, general stylistic analysis of prose fiction and specific stylistic analysis of alternative world fiction, which depend on the stylistic approaches suggested by Leech and Short, and Sandig and Sowinski, as well as Mandala’s study of language in science fiction and fantasy. This is put to empiric use on the basis of George R. R. Martin’s heroic fantasy A Clash of Kings, translated into Slovene by Branko Gradišnik. The thesis confronts the source text (original) with the target text (translation) from general as well as specific stylistic viewpoints. However, the emphasis of this stylistic analysis lies on the latter part that is text- and/or genre-specific. Within this part of the analysis, attention is directed toward geographic, character and other proper names, text- or genre-specific lexical and grammatical categories, use of archaic forms and language contact. These categories are considered from the translation viewpoint, thus revealing certain problems a translator faces while translating and/or adapting certain terms. The analysis merges literary linguistics with literary translation and confronts these with translator’s creative freedom, an artistic function every literary translator should posses. The thesis thus deals in its separate parts with word-formation, grammatical structures, the lexicon of British and American English, archaisms and fictive languages, and compares them with corresponding translations. These comparisons are then used to yield important stylistic revelations a translator should abide while translating alternative world fiction.
Keywords: alternative world fiction, Branko Gradišnik, Boštjan Gorenc, comparative analysis, fantasy, George R. R. Martin, literary translation, style, science fiction
Published in DKUM: 15.01.2015; Views: 1982; Downloads: 171
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