Dr. Seuss at the Crossroads of Form and Content in Spanish

Abstract

The form-content dilemma was extensively discussed by authors throughout the better part of the 20th century. Hayes (1975) relied on the translator’s common sense when approaching the art of literary translation. Taking a more descriptive approach, Ben-Ari (1992) and Shavit (1992) discussed specific features of literature in translation from German into Hebrew revising historical variables and understanding the canonical power of certain children’s books within the catalogue of the system under study. In English, as in Spanish, children’s literature lacks an important canonical pull. Nonetheless, there are certain specific examples such as the work of the great English authors of the 19th century, Lewis Carroll, Stevenson, or CS Lewis, which not only have become greatly influential in the English language but also in other languages, as is the case of Spanish. As the epitome of peripheral literary writing, translation—in this case the translation of children’s textualities—becomes a peripheral practice of a peripheral literature. If we consider that within the polysystem literary works tend to flux from central to peripheral positions and vice versa, we may conclude that it is important to open spaces for alternative cultures, a process that may rely heavily on translation. This paper aims at shedding light upon the strategies used by three different translators of three books belonging to the Dr. Seuss series. Our findings may give focus to Hayes’, Ben-Ari’s and Shavit’s ideas centering on children’s literature.