元雜劇的譯介、改編及接受的歷史迄今已近三百年，留下了大量的文本、文獻和歷史文化信息。國內外學者對這一領域的研究，雖然已出現了一些重要成果，卻遠未呈現出應有的更為豐富的面向和更為深廣的內涵。以傳播載體和形態論，元雜劇的英語譯介包括以中文原本的形態在域外傳播、以譯介和翻譯文本的形態在域外傳播、以文本改編和演劇改編的形態在域外傳播。通過譯介、改編與批評活動，元雜劇深刻參與著近代以來中西方的文化交流史和思想交流史，在西方的中國文學觀念和戲劇觀念的形成、中國本土和西方的中國文學史及中國戲劇史書寫，都扮演著極其重要的角色。

論文採用描述性與闡釋性相結合的研究方法，通過文本的比較研究，以元雜劇作品的中文原本、英語譯本、改編文本、舞臺搬演文獻和戲劇批評文獻為基礎，結合譯介史、中西社會文化交流史和文學史書寫的考察，對元雜劇在英語世界的翻譯、傳播與接受狀況展開深入的研究。

第一章以元雜劇譯介文獻的梳理為基礎，將元雜劇的英語譯介史分為兩個階段：其一，20世紀30年代以前是元雜劇翻譯的前期階段。這一時期的英譯文本處於法文譯介和德文譯介的影響之下，還沒有追尋中文原本進行自主譯介的自覺。其二，20世紀30年代至今，元雜劇的英語譯介呈現出自覺與獨立的特徵。本章將元雜劇英語譯介文本分為三個大類進行評論，全面呈現元雜劇英語譯介的文本載體及其形態。一是英譯劇本：包括據中文原本直接翻譯成英文的劇本，以及據其他語種譯本轉譯而來的英語譯本。二是英文譯介文本：包含片段節譯、選譯和梗概式譯介。三是英文改編文本：包括公開刊行或未出版的劇本、用於舞臺演出的劇本形式的文本，也包括個別的跨文體改編或改寫的文本。

第二章以元雜劇的譯介主體為研究對象，從元雜劇英譯史的不同階段中選取了德庇時、杜為廉、奚如谷和伊維德等極具代表性的譯者，討論他們的譯介目的、翻譯策略、翻譯特點以及在歐美漢學發展史和學術史上的特點。德庇時意圖是通過中國戲劇瞭解中國社會的風俗人情，譯作則以西方讀者的閱讀口味為旨歸，保證劇作故事線索的連續性和讀者閱讀的連貫性。杜為廉的翻譯活動與「戲劇史」書寫的自覺緊密關聯，譯介的劇作都與他對中國戲曲史的重要歷史特徵和代表性的戲劇類型的討論相輔相成。奚如谷和伊維德的翻譯活動以前沿的學術視野為先導，重視討論戲曲文本文獻的史料價值和社會文化史意義，因此，他們的元雜劇翻譯也表現出濃厚的主題學研究的色彩。此外，本章選取了三個不同的《漢宮秋》譯本進行了比較研究，凸顯了戲曲作品的文體形式、文本結構、詩體格律的形式對等等因素，及其傳遞戲曲文本的美學價值和文化價值的重要意義。

第三章探討了豐富多樣的元雜劇域外改編作品的形態，將各種跨文體、跨媒介、跨藝術形式的改編作品劃分為三類，進行評述和分析：一是作為文類範疇的戲劇文本改編；二是以舞臺表演為目的的演劇改編；三是非戲劇體裁的跨文類文本改編。相關改編作品都表現出改編者對「原文本」更具優先權或更具權威性這一潛在觀念的挑戰，並呈現出內在於元雜劇英語譯本改編過程中的「再創作」結構及其跨文化意義。元雜劇的所有改編形態，都構成了中文原作和英文譯本的「存在的增長」。

第四章以元雜劇在英語世界傳播與接受的四條主線為參照，對其中發揮著重要影響的戲劇觀念、文藝思潮和歷史事件等展開研究。首先，是呈現接受歷史上的基本事實，對具體的且具有代表性的觀點進行回顧。其次，對這些具有代表性的批評觀點進行辨析，並選取歐洲古典主義戲劇規範、「悲劇」理念和英國維多利亞時代盛行的「情節劇」觀念，呈現出上述重要的戲劇理念作為批評與接受的語境，對元雜劇在域外的傳播與接受所產生的影響。再次，以《老生兒》英譯本的接受語境探究為例，呈現了元雜劇跨文化傳播中的複雜因緣，反思了當下中國戲劇翻譯和跨文化傳播所面對的問題。

第五章探討元雜劇的譯介與研究在中西方「中國文學史與中國戲劇史書寫」領域的互動與交流。經由中文原本和英語譯介文本的傳播，原本文學地位可疑的元雜劇從中國傳統文學中「脫嵌」；在以小說戲劇為中心的敘事框架下，西方的中國文學史和戲劇史書寫將元雜劇作為代表性文體「回嵌」入中國文學史；19世紀末20世紀初，中國知識精英書寫中國文學史的實踐深受小說戲劇中心觀的影響，元雜劇自此獲得極高的文學地位。在傳統中國向現代中國的轉型中，文學史書寫領域的「脫嵌」與「回嵌」的歷程，客觀上促進了元雜劇和中國戲曲的文學地位和學術地位的提升。

本篇論文整體回顧了元雜劇的譯介史、改編史、接受史以及中西方文學史的交流互鑒。在既有研究的基礎上，論文拓展了對西方漢學史的認識，呈現了元雜劇英語譯介歷史的面貌與特點。本論文將元雜劇的英語譯介置於中西方「文學旅行」的廣闊時空之中，在比較戲劇研究和文學史書寫的比較研究的基礎上，反思了中國本土和西方的中國文學史學觀念的變遷，以及對元雜劇文學地位的評價。總體而言，本論文為當今中華文化典籍外譯和中西文明互鑒等學術熱點和文化熱點話題，提供了一個實證的研究範例和參考。

The history of the translation, adaptation, and reception of Yuan zaju has been nearly 300 years, leaving a large volume of texts, documents, and historical-cultural information. Although scholars from home and abroad have made some important achievements in this field, they are far from presenting the richness and in-depth facets of this field. Regarding dissemination forms and carriers, the English translation of Yuan zaju travels around the world mainly in three ways: in the form of original Chinese texts, in the form of translation and introduction texts, and in the form of textual adaptation and theatrical adaptation. Through translation, adaptation, and criticism, Yuan zaju has been deeply involved in the history of cultural and ideological exchanges between China and the West since modern times and plays a significant role in writing the history of Chinese literature and Chinese drama.

By adopting the combined research methods of description and interpretation, and comparative study, this thesis explores the original Chinese texts, English translations, adaptations, theatrical performances, and dramatic critiques of works related to Yuan zaju. In this thesis, an in-depth study of the translation, dissemination, and reception of Yuan zaju in the English world is carried out under the investigation of the literary history writing, translation history, and the history of Sino-Western social-cultural exchanges.

Chapter one divides the history of the English translation of Yuan zaju into two stages. Before the 1930s is the early stage. The French and German translations thoroughly influenced the English translation in this period, and there appeared little consciousness of independence in selecting and introducing the original Chinese scripts. The 1930s and onward belong to the second stage, during which the English translation of Yuan zaju presented noticeable features of self-consciousness and independence. This chapter classifies the English translation texts of Yuan zaju into three categories and comprehensively evaluates these texts’ material carriers and forms. The first category is the English translation of the plays, including plays translated directly into English according to their Chinese scripts and those re-translations from other European languages. The second is the English translation and introduction texts, including excerpt translation, selected translation, and synopsis translation. The third is the English adaptions, including the texts published or unpublished, works in the form of reading or performing, and cross-genre adaptations.

Chapter two takes the subject of the English translation and introduction of Yuan zaju as the object, such as John Francis Davis, Willian Dolby, Dale R. Johnson, Stephen West, and Wilt Idema, to explore their translation purposes, strategies, characteristics, and their contributions in the history of Sinology and intellectual history. John Francis Davis intends to understand the customs and life of Chinese society through the translation of Chinese drama; therefore, his translation emphasizes on continuity of the plots and the coherence in story-telling to cater to the taste of Western readers. Dolby’s translation activities are closely related to his history writing of Chinese drama. His translations serve the argument on the essential features and representative dramatic works of his History of Chinese Drama. West and Idema’s translation activities, guided by cutting-edge academic horizons, emphasize discussing the historical value and social-cultural significance of the dramatic scripts and documents. Therefore, their translation shows a prominent feature of the thematic study. In addition, this chapter makes a comparative study of three different English versions of Han gong qiu to highlight the importance of the equivalence of the stylistic form, textual structure, and poetic regulations during the English translation process of the Yuan zaju and to present the significance of disseminating the aesthetic and cultural values of the traditional Chinese drama through translation.

The third chapter discusses the rich and diverse adaptation forms of Yuan zaju and divides all types of cross-genre and cross-media works into three categories for a reasonable evaluation and analysis. The first category is the dramatic adaptation for reading; the second is the theatrical adaptation for stage performance; the third is the textual adaptation of non-dramatic genres. The relevant adapted works all show the challenge to the potential recognition that the original text enjoys more priority or authority. The adapted works present the “re-creation” structure and their cross-cultural significance in adapting the English versions of Yuan zaju. All the adaptation forms of Yuan zaju constitute the “growth of the existence” of the original Chinese scripts and their English translations.

Concerning the four streams of the dissemination and reception of Yuan zaju in the English-speaking world, chapter four studies the dramatic ideas, literary trends, and historical events that play an essential role within these streams. First, this thesis presents the basic facts of the reception history and reexamines the specific and representative viewpoints. Secondly, it analyzes these representative critical viewpoints and selects the norms of European classical drama, the concept of “tragedy” and the prevailing concept of “melodrama” in the Victorian era of England to present how these influential concepts played as the critical and receptive context in the overseas dissemination and reception of Yuan zaju. Thirdly, taking the receptive context of the English translation of Lao sheng’er as an example, this chapter presents the complex causes of the cross-cultural dissemination of Yuan zaju and reflects on the problems faced in today’s Chinese drama translation and cross-cultural communication.

Chapter five discusses the interaction and exchange of the English translation and study of Yuan zaju in the “history writing of Chinese literature and Chinese drama.” Through the circulation of the original Chinese scripts and their English translations, Yuan zaju with dubious literary status has been “disembedded” from the traditional Chinese literature; however, under the narrative of the novel-drama centric view, the Western writers have re-embedded Yuan zaju as a representative genre in their writings of the history of Chinese literature and Chinese drama. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the practice of Chinese intellectual elites in writing the history of Chinese literature was deeply influenced by the novel-drama- centric view. So, Yuan zaju gained a higher literary status in native writings of Chinese literary history. In the transition from traditional China to modern China, the process of “disembedding” and “re-embedding” in literary history writing has objectively promoted the literary and academic status of Yuan zaju and traditional Chinese drama.

This thesis reexamines the history of translation, adaptation, and reception of Yuan zaju and the exchange and mutual illumination between Chinese and Western literary history. Based on existing studies, this thesis expands the understanding of the history of Western Sinology and presents the landscape and characteristics of the English translation history of Yuan zaju. By placing the English translations and introduction of Yuan zaju in the broad cross-cultural “literary travel” space, this research reflects on the vicissitude of the concept of Chinese literary historiography and the evaluation of the literary status of Yuan zaju between China and the West based on comparative studies. Generally speaking, this thesis provides an empirical example and reference for the heatedly discussed academic and cultural topics, such as the foreign translation of Chinese cultural classics and the mutual illumination between Chinese and Western civilizations.