If you want to stretch the definition or concept of translation,
you could read stories that have been rewritten to shift perspective / point of
view from the main character to a minor character, from male to female and
visa-versa. In literary and copyright lingo, these books are considered
derivatives, in other words they are adapted or reconfigured.
Examples of books that are derivatives might be “The Wind
Done Gone” or “Rhett Butler’s People.” This was one of the first contemporary legal
battles that tested the copyright issue of derivative or not, fair use or
original. In the first example, “The Wind Done Gone” by Alice Randall, a
“literary parody” of “Gone With The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, is told by
Cynara, Scarlet’s mulatto half-sister who was born into slavery. The language
and perspective shifts to that of Cynara. Readers experience this ‘classic’
tale unfold through the eyes of a servant or enslaved person as opposed to the
white Southern aristocrat.
In the same vein, “Rhett Butler’s People” by Donald
McCaig tells the story of Rhett Butler’s life from his childhood in poverty
forward until he meets Scarlet O’Hara, again playing off the familiar story line
of “Gone With The Wind” with a twist.
With a shift of perspective and creative use of story-telling,
authors translate traditional or well-known stories, twisting tales to fit
different audiences. In some instances, the story is told from the loser’s
point-of-view or a secondary character’s perspective.
While mystery writers
have mastered this technique, I’m thinking of Iain Pears’ “An Instance of the
Fingerpost,” a murder told from multiple characters’ perspectives. The story is
told again and again, each time from a slightly different vantage point. Slowly,
the mystery and the crime takes shape until it’s finally solved at the very
end.
Other writers take a fairy tale and turn it onto its head.
An example of shifting the POV from the ‘traditional’ story to a derivative one
is “Wicked” by Gregory McGuire. Gregory McGuire is taking “The Wizard of Oz”
and telling the story from the witch’s point of view. A most engaging tale.
Other examples of recent perspective shifting or translating
are “Trojan Women” and “Circe.”
Stay tuned for day 4 of "Reading in Translation."
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