Echoes Across Texts: Intertextuality and Translation Issues in James Joyce’s Short Stories

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive examination of the concept of intertextuality and its complex and significant role in literary translation. Intertextuality is one of the key literary strategies used by authors to create multi-layered and symbolic meanings by referencing various sources such as classical literature, religious texts, historical events, folkloric elements, and diverse cultural traditions. Such references enable the reader to interpret the text not in isolation, but within a broader intertextual and cultural context. The article presents the theoretical foundations of intertextuality, its evolution within literary studies and the humanities, as well as its major forms, including explicit, implicit, intentional, unintentional, and transformative types.

The following study discusses the semantic and stylistic challenges intertextuality poses for literary translation and the strategic approaches employed to address them. The core of the research focuses on the translation of intertextual elements in “Dubliners”, a renowned short story collection by one of the leading figures of 20th-century world literature, James Joyce. Specifically, the study analyzes and compares the Azerbaijani translations by Alisa Nijat and Ramiz Abbasli, investigating how intertextual references were preserved and which translation strategies were adopted.

Findings indicate that the translators primarily employed strategies based on equivalence, adaptation, and explicitation. However, in some instances, intertextual references were either completely omitted or presented only on a superficial, lexical level. Overall, the article emphasizes that intertextuality plays a crucial role in preserving the semantic depth, stylistic nuances, and aesthetic integrity of the source text in literary translation.