Translating and Resisting Anglomania in Post-revolutionary France: English to French Translations in the Period 1814–1848

Abstract

Translations, in the context of nationalisms at the beginning of the nineteenth century, play a central role not only in defining and informing the evolution of opinions on England and of the ideologies that sustain them. But, in the process, translations also become occasions for differentiating elements deemed essential to the national character, for voicing and listing whatever traits the translator, editor, or sponsor, considers essential characteristics of French identity. This can be read not only in the manner, the style of the translations per se, but also in the accompanying paratextual discourse: in prefaces, in some translators’ often copious footnotes and in the critical discourse many notable translations provoke. This paper proposes to examine some exemplary discussions selected from translations, criticism, travelogues, etc. that confront – directly or indirectly – central issues raised in Schleiermacher’s programmatic essay. Revue britannique (1825–1901) a periodical that regularly published translations of selected articles from a wide range of British periodicals will serve as primary – but not only – source of texts.