Article published in:
Target
Vol. 11:2 (1999) ► pp. 245–262

Mock-Epic as a Byproduct of the Norm of Elevated Language

| The Hebrew University of Jerusalem & Beit Berl College
Beginning in the late nineteenth century, Hebrew underwent a process of revival. Despite the growing stratification of the language, literary translations into Hebrew were governed by a norm which dictated the use of an elevated style rooted in ancient Hebrew texts. This norm persisted at least until the 1960s. Motivated by the Hebrew tradition of employing the elevated style to produce the mock-epic, translators created mock-epic works independently of the source texts. This article describes the creation of the mock-epic in canonized and non canonized adult and children's literature, focusing on the Hebrew versions of Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews, Damon Runyon's Guys and Dolls, Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise and A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Mock-Epic
  • Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews
  • Damon Runyon's Guys and Dolls
  • Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise
  • A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 24 March 2000
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.11.2.04wei
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