Reconstruction of Female Discourse in the Translation of Chinese Online Literature: A Case Study of The Legend of Fuyao

Abstract

With the global spread of Chinese online literature, translation has become a crucial factor influencing its reception. The Legend of Fuyao, as a representative female-centered web novel, demonstrates significant linguistic and cultural transformations in its English translation. Based on Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, this study examines the changes in the heroine Meng Fuyao’s discourse style at the textual, discourse-practice, and social-practice levels. The findings reveal that at the textual level, the aggressiveness and authority of the heroine’s language are generally weakened in translation; at the discourse practice level, the translator’s strategies, the platform’s operational logic, and readers’ reception collectively contribute to a shift toward a more moderate and fluent style; at the social practice level, translation not only redistributes power discourse but also reflects differing cultural expectations regarding female representation.