ЖЕНСКИЕ ОБРАЗЫ В ТРЕХ ПЕРЕВОДАХ «АЛИСЫ В СТРАНЕ ЧУДЕС» ЛЬЮИСА КЭРРОЛЛА
FEMALE IMAGES IN THE THREE TRANSLATIONS OF “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” BY LEWIS CARROLL

Author(s): Irina Shishkova
Subject(s): Eastern Slavic Languages, Translation Studies, Theory of Literature, British Literature
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: ‘Alice in Wonderland’; Lewis Carroll; Duchess; Queen; Victorian;
Summary/Abstract: The article highlights the analysis of transformations of female images in the three well-known translations of “‘Alice in Wonderland”’ by Lewis Carroll: Vladimir Nabokov’s (1923), N.M. Demurova’s (1965) and B.V. Zakhoder’s (1972). Each translated text of the famous fairy tale is original. If the works of Demurova and Zakhoder enjoyed tremendous popularity in the Soviet Union, Nabokov's translation came to the Russian reader only after perestroika and to this day causes heated discussions among the numerous admirers of ‘Alice.’ The rendering of the character names and places presents a particular difficulty in the translation, as well as the English context itself. In this regard, it is interesting to consider the artistic features of verbal portraits of female characters: Alice herself, her sisters, the Duchess and the Queen. The three masters approached the interpretation of the Alice image, the prototype of which was Alice Liddell, in their own way. As you know, Nabokov renamed Alice in Anya, Demurova retained her Englishness, subtly emphasizing the mentality of the little Victorian, and Zakhoder turned her into an inquisitive girl, interested in everything in the world. Each Russian version presents witty parodies, subtle idioms, elegant wordplay, funny epithets, designed to replace Carroll’s unique style. In Nabokov’s translation the scene is laid in pre-revolutionary Russia. Demurova paid special attention to preserving the original, and Zakhoder called his translation a retelling, although he treated Carroll's text not less carefully.

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