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Performing the Literal: Translating Chekhov’s Seagull for the Stage

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The Palgrave Handbook of Literary Translation

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting ((PTTI))

Abstract

Anton Chekhov’s play The Seagull (1896) is regularly performed in English, with nine different productions in London during the ten years from 2006 to 2016, each in a new version. Brodie’s case study investigates theatre translation processes, comparing two productions performed at the Royal National Theatre in versions by Martin Crimp in 2006 and by David Hare in 2016. Both playwrights used the same literal translation by Helen Rappaport to create their texts for performance. The study examines the approaches of the two playwrights and their collaborators by means of an analysis of their objectives, translator style, reception, and their relationship with translation and adaptation. A spotlight on the literal translation demonstrates its key role in translation process and product, and also how unexpected factors influence the progress of case study research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Arts Council England grant commitment to the Royal National Theatre for 2016–17 Quarter 2 was £17,217,000. This made the National Theatre the fourth highest recipient, preceded by the Royal Opera House (£24,772,000); the National Foundation for Youth Music (£19,302,000); and the Southbank Centre (£19,186,000) (Arts Council England 2016).

  2. 2.

    Each Act of Rappaport’s literal translation begins with new page numbering at 1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University College London, London, UK

    Geraldine Brodie

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  1. Geraldine Brodie
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Correspondence to Geraldine Brodie .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom

    Jean Boase-Beier

  2. Independent Scholar, Norwich, United Kingdom

    Lina Fisher

  3. Department of English, Tohoku Gakuin University, Sendai, Japan

    Hiroko Furukawa

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Brodie, G. (2018). Performing the Literal: Translating Chekhov’s Seagull for the Stage. In: Boase-Beier, J., Fisher, L., Furukawa, H. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Literary Translation. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75753-7_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75753-7_11

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