Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach and Parzival by L. V. Ginzburg:  The Pragmatics of Incomplete Translation

Occupation: Junior Researcher, Center for North American Studies
Affiliation: A. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka

Edition

Volume 82 Issue 6

Pages

100-111

Abstract

The article analyses the translation strategy of L.V. Ginzburg, who rendered Wolfram von Eschenbach’s chivalric romanceParzival into Russian, and outlines the main directions that make it possible to return this work to its historical and cultural context. From the very beginning, the collection, which included the translation of Parzival, was intended for the mass audience, and therefore many episodes of the original novel were given in abridgment or retelling. Reductions of descriptions, some factual errors, distortions in the interpretation of scenes and characters seem insignificant and do not affect the overall perception of the translation, which is formally and structurally quite close to the original. However, these distortions accumulate, and details important for understanding medieval ideas of an ideal courtly society are lost in the retelling. The translation seems to be the same “adaptation&8j1; of the medieval text as the Middle High German Parzival was in relation to Chretien de Troyes’ Perceval. An updated translation of the chivalric romance, equipped with historical and cultural commentary, would be a significant event in Russian medieval studies.

Keywords

Parzival, Wolfram von Eschenbach, chivalric romance, L.V. Ginzburg, translation, reverse translation

Acknowledgment

The research was carried out at IWL RAS with financial support from the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 23-18-00375, https://rscf.ru/project/23-18-00375/).

Received

22.01.2024

Publication date

29.01.2024

Number of characters

42502

Cite

GOST	Khokhlova A. “Parzival” by Wolfram von Eschenbach and “Parzival” by L. V. Ginzburg: The Pragmatics of Incomplete Translation // Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka – 2024. – V. 82. – Issue 6 C. 100-111 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://izv-oifn.ru/S160578800029128-6-1 (circulation date: 20.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S160578800029128-6
MLA	Khokhlova, Alyona V. "“Parzival” by Wolfram von Eschenbach and “Parzival” by L. V. Ginzburg: The Pragmatics of Incomplete Translation." Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka 82.6 (2024):100-111. DOI: 10.31857/S160578800029128-6
APA	Khokhlova A. (2024). “Parzival” by Wolfram von Eschenbach and “Parzival” by L. V. Ginzburg: The Pragmatics of Incomplete Translation. Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka 82(6), pp.100-111 DOI: 10.31857/S160578800029128-6

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