Abstract

A huge number of English literary works have been translated by many Japanese scholars of English Literary Studies. By producing and criticising translations as well as by conducting research into English literature, these academics have constructed norms governing these translations. In the early Showa era, while the dominant norm consisted of the pursuit of fidelity to the original, the artistic and creative aspects of translation gradually became emphasised in discussions of translation. In this paper I examine the ‘negotiation’ of norms for translating English literature embodied in translation criticism by English literary scholars in the early Showa era. I will also explore how English Literary Studies and a socio-cultural situation exerted an influence on the negotiation of the translation norms.