ARTICLE
26 April 2026

Narrative Criticism in the Translation of Lu Xun’s Short Stories: A Case Study of “Kong Yiji”

Chengcheng Zhong1*
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1 School of Foreign Languages, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266000, Shandong, China
© 2026 by the Author. Licensee: Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty Ltd, Australia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Narratology, with its broad research scope, profound analytical dimensions, and mature theoretical framework, has opened up vast and deep exploration space for literary translation criticism. Drawing upon narratological theory, this thesis conducts a narratological translation critique of two authoritative translations of Lu Xun’s short story “Kong Yiji.” The analysis examines four aspects: narrative time, narrative perspective, speech/thought presentation, and legibility versus readability. By comparing how narrative effects are transferred or lost, the paper reveals the subtle narrative mechanisms in the original and evaluates the cross-cultural adaptability of each translation strategy.

Keywords
Kong Yiji
Narrative
Translation criticism
References

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[11] Wang SH, 2025, Toward a Stylistic Criticism Model for Literary Translation. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, (03): 104–116 + 149.

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