Rewriting Gulliver’s Travels under the influence of J. J. Grandville’s illustrations
2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 30; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/02666286.2014.954809
ISSN1943-2178
Autores Tópico(s)Historical and Literary Analyses
ResumoThe relationship between literary works and the translations and illustrations that they inspire is commonly expressed in hierarchical terms, with translations and illustrations being subordinated to an archetypal standard text. Due to the historical hegemony of the written word in the literary context, illustrations tend to be relegated to the lower end of this spectrum. This article stresses that illustrations have no less literary and bibliographical significance than their written sources. In particular, it emphasises that illustrations can actively shape the textual trajectory of literary works by often exerting control over the texts of their translations as well as of their original versions. The article’s primary aim is to evaluate the impact of J. J. Grandville’s drawings of Gulliver’s Travels, first published in an 1838 French translation, on the fortune of Swift’s work. After examining some notable affinities between Swift’s and Grandville’s artistic inclinations, attention is paid to the relationship between Grandville’s illustrations and Gaetano Barbieri’s Italian translation of 1840. The analysis culminates in the observation of how the illustrations directly influenced the translator’s decision. Interesting parallels are then drawn between Barbieri’s translational behaviour and the composition of the British critical edition of William Cooke Taylor, also published in 1840.
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