Study of the degree of "subordination" and "independence" of the illustrations of the "Unofficial History of Confucians": cross-cultural context (on the example of the Russian translation of D.N. Voskresensky)

Abstract

In recent years, the Chinese satirical novel “The Unofficial History of Confucians” has become widespread in Russia, the version of which is generally recognized by Russian researchers as a complete translation of 55 chapters, translated and published by Sinologist D.N. Voskresensky (Chinese name Hua Kesheng) in 1959. The book is accompanied by eight narrative illustrations by the Chinese artist Cheng Shifa, which echo the text and contribute to the understanding of textual information, while the illustrations themselves are also a direct form of information transfer and play an independent narrative. In this article, the analysis of the illustrative accompaniment of the translation shows the characteristics of "subordination" and "independence" of illustrations, helps to intuitively understand the "picture-text" relationship and interpret the "Unofficial History of Confucians" from the point of view of iconography. The literary text, extended to a wider range of art fields, demonstrates the artistic value of the novel from a cross-cultural perspective.