Translating Hysteria: Women and Madness in the English Translation of Ariana Harwicz's La débil mental

Abstract

This thesis is divided into two main parts. The first part establishes the theoretical framework that served as a guide for my English translation of the short novel La débil mental by Argentinian author Ariana Harwicz, and consists of three chapters. Due to the novel’s narrative style and subject matter, my translation approach was centered on the topic of female madness in literature. Therefore, the first chapter examines feminist theories of translation and their relevance to the project at hand. The second examines the topic of madness in literature, and pays particular attention to depictions of women with mental illnesses in literary works. Then, in the third chapter, I will attempt to draw on the previous two chapters to develop an approach to translating female madness, and examine specific choices made in my translation of La débil mental in that light. Finally, the second main part of the thesis consists of my translation of the novel.