Power and poetics at work: rewriting Mark Twain’s “Cannibalism in the Cars” in Japan and China

This essay explores the sociopolitical and poetic dynamics that influenced the relay rewriting of Mark Twain’s “Cannibalism in the Cars” as it was transmitted from Japan to China. By adopting a transnational perspective and conducting a comparative textual analysis of the English original (1868), the Japanese version (1903), and the Chinese adaptation (1904), this study elucidates the complex interplay between rewriting practices and the prevailing ideological and poetic forces in Meiji Japan and Late Qing China. The study reveals how translation strategies, augmented by paratexts, shaped Twain’s reception in East Asia, aligning his narrative with the distinct ideological and poetic traditions of both countries. Despite sharing similar ideological underpinnings, the Japanese and Chinese rewriters employed divergent strategies, leading to varying implications. The Japanese version foregrounds class struggle in alignment with Meiji-era political discourse, whereas the Chinese translation, while initially adhering closely to its Japanese predecessor, ultimately transforms Twain’s narrative into a critique of societal brutality during the Late Qing period. These adaptations illustrate how rewriting serves as tools not only for cultural exchange but also for shaping and contesting national ideologies, highlighting the broader impact of cross-cultural literary transmission on the formation of political and social consciousness in East Asia.