Review on Itamar Even Zohar’s article "Polysystem Theory" - Lingvistica

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Primary arising in thes cientific works of a group of Russian literary theorists, the concept of the “polysystem” has received considerable attention in the work of certain groups of translation scholars since the 1970s. While offering a general model for understanding, analysing and describing the functioning and evolution of literary systems, its specific application to the study of translated literature has given rise to much useful discussion and research. The present paper attempts to discuss, explore and analyze Itamar Even-Zohar’s article “Polysystem theory”, including linguist’s hypotheses on the position of translated literature and its relation with translation norms, and some of its basic assumptions and principles, such as System and Polysystem in Modern Functionalism: Statics vs. Dynamics; Polysystem: Processes and Procedures; General Properties of the Polysystem; Dynamic Stratification and Systemic Products; Canonized vs. Non-Canonized Strata; System vs. Repertoire vs. Texts; Static vs. Dynamic Canonicity; Primary vs. Secondary Types; Intra- and Inter-relations; Intra-relations; Inter-relations; Stability and Instability; Volume of the System. It also discusses the outstanding version of Even-Zohar’s hypothesis on the situations in which translated literature is likely to occupy a central position, and suggests ways in which polysystem theory can or should be rendered more intricate. It argues that polysystem theory and other cultural theories can be complementary and mutually enriching. ...