Sir Richard Francis Burton's imperialistic and orientalist translation of One Thousand and One Nights

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of French language and literature, Department of Foreign Languages, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman.

2 Associate Professor of Translation Studies, Department of Foreign Languages, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Kerman, Iran(corresponding author)

3 3. Instructor of English Language and literature , Department of Foreign Languages, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Kerman, Iran

Abstract

One of the fields of comparative literature is interdisciplinary studies. Interdisciplinary studies make connections between disciplines. The link between literary criticism and literature and translation is one of the interdisciplinary fields. This article deals with the Orientalist analysis of Burton's translation of One Thousand and One Nights. The main problem of the research is what was the reason for Burton's attention to One Thousand and One Nights and devoted attention to One Thousand and One Nights and why he chose to translate it? The aim of the article is to show that Burton's translation of Arabian Nights aligns with the tenets of Orientalism, suggesting that in translating One Thousand and One Nights, he viewed the West as superior and perceived the East, as portrayed in the stories, as lesser. The research method employed in this article is descriptive, analytical, and based on library resources, while the theoretical framework draws on Edward Said's Orientalist theories. The findings of this study indicate that in translating One Thousand and One Nights, Burton projected a sense of Western superiority and Eastern inferiority, using translation as a means to explore the East rather than appreciating its literary merit, a standpoint rooted in imperialism. This research showed that the translation of the Thousand and One Nights reflects Burton's orientalist attitudes and imperialist prejudices, and shows that he considered the translation as a tool for the superiority of European ideas against eastern culture and presents the East as an essentialist geography of lust to the world.  

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Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities
Volume 4, Issue 2 - Serial Number 8
October 2024
Pages 183-202

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History

  • Receive Date: 08 March 2024
  • Revise Date: 05 July 2024
  • Accept Date: 14 July 2024

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