Itamar Even-Zohar: "The position of Translated Literature within The Literary Polysystem." Poetics Today (1990) Presented by Hassnae Salek, Master student of Communication, Culture and Translation

1. Itamar Even-Zohar
ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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Presented by: Hassnae Salek

2. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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3. Itamar Even-Zohar
Itamar Even-Zohar is
an Israeli cultural/
literary theorist at Tel
Aviv University. He is a
pioneer of polysystem
theory and the theory
of cultural repertoires.
ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
3

4. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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Translations Translated
works
No awareness of the possible existence of translated literature as a particular
literary system.

5. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
5
• In the early 1970s, Itamar Even-Zohar developed the
Polysystem model on the basis of his work on Hebrew
literature. He is also known as a pioneer of cultural
repertoires theory. Even-Zohar assumes that
the polysystem of a given national literature is viewed as
one element making up the larger socio-cultural
polysystem.

6. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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7. • A Polysystem functions as a system based on
the relationships between a series of opposites
which include: centre and periphery, primary
(innovative) and secondary (conservative)
models, as well as source text and target text,
translated and non-translated texts.
ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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8. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
8
• In polysystem theory a literary work is not
studied in isolation but as part of a literary
system.
• A literary system can influence other systems.

9. «Translated literature is « not only (,,,) an
integral system within any literary polysystem
but as a most active system within it »
Even -Zohar
ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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10. • Central position: translated literature participates actively in shaping
the centre of the polysystem.
Occurs in 3 cases:
1 when a ‘young’ literature is being established
2 when a literature is ‘peripheral’ or ‘weak’
3 when there is a critical turning point in literary history- established models
will become insufficient-or when there is a literary vacuum
ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
10

11. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
11
• Peripheral position: represents a peripheral system within
the polysystem; no major influence over the central system.
Translated literature thus becomes a conservative element,
preserving conventional forms and conforming to the literary
norms of the target literature.

12. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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« The hypothesis that translated literature may be either a
central or peripheral system does not imply that it is
always wholly one or the other.»
Even Zohar

13. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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• For instance, in the Hebrew literary polysystem between the
two world wars, literature translated from the Russian assumed
an unmistakably central position, while works translated from
English, German, Polish, and other languages assumed an
obviously peripheral one.

14. • Susan Bassnett criticised Even-Zohar’s description of
target literature as ‘young’, ‘weak’ or as vacuum, and
also she argued that the theory tends to neglect
concrete examples.
(Bassnett & Lefevere, 1998,p.127)
ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
14

15. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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• Edwin Gentzler notes that there might be an
overgeneralization within Even-Zohar's theory, and
that it tends to focus on the abstract model rather
than the concrete constraints placed on texts and
translators.

16. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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17. ITAMAR EVEN-ZOHAR: "THE POSITION OF
TRANSLATED LITERATURE WITHIN THE
LITERARY POLYSYSTEM." POETICS TODAY
(1990)
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