The cross-cultural translation of Maugham’s British play in Hong Kong in the 1950s: A study of the translation of the Sacred Flame into Xin Yan
Author(s)
Date Issued
2020
Publisher
Beijing Normal University & The University of Arizona
Journal
Comparative Literature & World Literature
Volume
5
Issue
2
Start page
46
End page
71
Abstract
William Somerset Maugham’s 1928 play The Sacred Flame was translated and adapted into the Chinese play Xin Yan staged in Hong Kong in the 1950s. In this article, I examine how this British play was turned into cultural resources for Chinese intellectuals and dramatists to fight against feudalism rooted in China and Hong Kong. At the same time, I also discuss how “female sexuality” is shown in both the original and the adapted texts. In the first part of this article, I lay out the personal story of Maugham to examine how his life experiences shaped the theme of his work. Though The Sacred Flame is easily recognized as an example of melodrama, its main theme goes far beyond the typical plots of romance and marriage. In fact, it could be regarded as a subtle gay/queer text where Maugham poses a challenge to traditional family structure and heterosexual marriage. In the second part, through examining the Chinese translation of The Sacred Flame, I emphasize how the play was localized by making modifications to suit the Chinese context and finally performed as Xin Yan by The Chinese Drama Group of the Sino-British Club of Hong Kong in the 1950s.
SFU Affiliated Publication
No
Availability at SFU Library
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