John Dryden on Translation

Bruna Jorge, Nº 163224

Tiago Feteira, Nº 156180

Translation History and Theory

Content

• Biography
• Main Translation Works
• View on Translation
• Tripartite Division of Translation
• Sources

Biography

• 9 of August 1631 – 1 of May 1700
• English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright
• Appointed England's first Poet Laureate (1668)
• “Age of Dryden”

Main Translation Works

• Ovid’s Epistles (1680)
• Sylvae (1685)
• The Works of Virgil (1697)
• Fables Ancient and Modern (1700)
• The Works of Lucian (1711)
• Etc.

The Works of Virgil

• Translation made by John Dryden on the poems of Virgil
• Includes The Aeneid

Freedom’s taken when translating Virgil

• Used both metaphrase and paraphrase
• Omitted and added according to his own and Virgil’s senses
• Took into account the differences between languages
• Took into account the grammatical distinctions
• Kept the beauty and elegance of Virgil’s words

Dryden’s view on Translation

• Knowledge;
• Fidelity to the ST;
• Preservation;
• Liberty;
• Contribution of Translation.

His main concerns:

The Translator’s Burden

Tripartite division of translation:

Dryden’s Three Terms of Translation

Conclusion

Sources

Christian England: From Reformation to the Eighteenth Century - John Dryden, David I. Edwards

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studfile.net/preview/7525228/

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https://www.academia.edu/6856745/John_Dryden_Translator_and_Theorist_of_Translation_Lecture_UCL_7_March_2013

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https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-works-of-virgil-translated-by-john-dryden-1697

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https://www.bl.uk/people/john-dryden

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https://www.coursehero.com/file/p2ctd70e/tripartite-division-of-translation-into-Metaphrase-or-turning-an-Authour-word-by/

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