Clause complexes as the basis for construing the narrative point of view in translation context

Abstract

This article briefly discusses the role of expansions for construing the characters’ identities and personality traits in Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and its translation, made by João do Rio, and adaptations, made by Clarice Lispector and Claudia Lopes, into Brazilian Portuguese. The discursive configuration or narrative axis that unveils the narrative point of view is the central linguistic realization of the discussion. The paper also problematizes the concept of omission and rewriting in the literary translation context, asserting that these kinds of (re)textualizations may create negative cultural impacts on the target-text reader. The discussion is informed by the principles of systemic-functional grammar and its contributions to literary translation, especially the concepts of projection and clause complex.