La retraduction en fantasy: phénomène marchand ou littéraire?
Vivien Féasson
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Version HTML du résumé et des mots-clés [English]:
Titre
Fantasy novels retranslated: A literary or commercial phenomenon?
Résumé
Following the success of cinematographic and televisual adaptations, the beginning of the 21st century has seen numerous retranslations of so-called “fantasy classics” appear on the French market, supported by positive peritexts and enthusiastic communities. One can wonder, however, to what extent such an idyllic landscape is the reflection of a movement towards a greater integration of authentic masterworks in all their complexity, following Antoine Berman’s theory of retranslation, or if other, non-literary reasons are at stake? This essay examines official discourses from publishers and fan communities as well as commercial data, to answer those crucial questions: what is a fantasy classic? Why are these works retranslated, with what translation project? To this end, it goes beyond publishers’ statements of principle and analyses textual realizations, thus showing a darker reality where translators are often fantasy experts capable of repairing diegetic incoherence but also inexperienced professionals working in substandard conditions, a context that has detrimental effects on the more stylistic aspects.
Mots-clés
Fantasy, retranslation, Berman, France
35(1) - 2023