Abstract
Exophony, writing in a second language for literary purposes, is a relatively new concept in literary scholarship, although the practice it describes is longstanding. With the growth in globalisation, migration and displacement, the phenomenon has become increasingly widespread. As a Chinese Australian writer working predominantly in English and as a translator between English and Chinese, I am interested in surveying the exophonic experience and considering how the adoption of a foreign literary language can shape an author’s sense of self and their writing. Among exophonic writers of diverse circumstances, I have selected for critical analysis Jhumpa Lahiri and Yiyun Li, who write in Italian and English respectively. Through close reading I investigate various aspects of their creative practice, including their decisions to adopt another language, their relationships with their original languages, the potential for new identity formation, and the thematic choices they make in their writing. I have also reflected on my own pursuits in writing and translation with reference to Lahiri and Li.The results are unexpected and exhilarating. Lahiri’s surprising decision to stop writing in the global language of English and start working in Italian has resulted in an astonishing change in her style from realism to impressionism and abstraction. Her writing repertoire has also expanded to include translation and poetry. More important, the journey of learning a new language has mitigated the linguistic tensions that she experienced as a child, making her sense of self more complete. Li’s writing in English may be less transformative on the surface because she had not written in Chinese before she began writing in English. However, she has been able to break away from a traumatic personal history by severing the linguistic lineage of her mother tongue. English is Li’s ‘natural’ language now, the language that enables her to think clearly, write precisely, read prodigiously, and live productively despite her tragic losses.
Surveying my own practice has allowed me to explore the influences of Chinese aesthetic traditions and the Chinese language on my writing in English, and the unique perspectives that can be attained by working between two languages. My novel, The Intimate Reader, approaches similar conclusions in fictional terms. In both the exegesis and the novel, translation is considered as an actual practice and a metaphor for the creative space which opens in multilingual reading and writing, and ultimately the transformative way of living it affords.
| Date of Award | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Ivor Indyk (Supervisor) |
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- Standard