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Abstract Narrative, as a semiotic embodiment of human experience and their social activity, func¬tions as a means of constructing the social identities of individuals and communities. The satiric political verses written by Yuan Shuipai and published during the Cold War period are imbued with features of China’s typical domestic political narrative, which poses comprehension barriers to readers outside China. It also presents challenges to Sidney Shapiro, a translator of the said verses. Metanarratives, which are considered capable of transcending geographical and temporal barriers, constructing a collective memory and creating a shared psychological identity, could be a useful resource for re-narrating the content in translation. Therefore, resorting to metanarratives is a feasible and effective strategy for narrowing the gaps at the narrative level. This paper analyz¬es Shapiro’s efforts in narrative reconstruction through resorting to metanarratives, exemplified in three aspects: reconstructing the narrative frame, repositioning the participants and adding nar¬rative plots. It is revealed that Shapiro’s vision of global history and his awareness of metanarra¬tive enable him to render China’s domestic political narrative with features of international dis¬course, and that well explains why Shapiro’s English translation (1963) of Yuan’s verses was taken as the basis of Spanish version (1964).
Key words: metanarratives; English translation; satiric political verse; Sidney Shapiro; narrative reconstruction
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