Dante’s “Inferno” is the first part to Dante Alighieri’s
classic epic poem the Divine Comedy.
Written in Italian in the 14th century, this piece of literature was
translated into many languages before it was first translated to English in
1802, 500 years after it was originally written. Caroline Bergvall’s “Via” is a
poem that includes 47 different translations of the first three lines of
Dante’s “Inferno”, which she gathered from the British Library. This can be
considered conceptual poetry as well as Oulipo in nature. Oulipo is a type of
writing that uses constraint as a technique, which is a common practice in
conceptual poetry. An example of Oulipo writing is Christian Bök’s Eunoia, which is a book where each
chapter tells a story that is constrained to using only one out of the five
vowels in each word. “Via” is an interesting poem to examine due to its
conceptual nature, using appropriation to transform the meaning of specific
text, and its Oulipo elements and how this contributes to the overall purpose
of the poem. The comprehensive meaning and purpose to writing “Via” is to cause
the reader to closely examine the first three lines of the “Inferno” and
realize how translations of the same text can alter the overall meaning and
what it says about the characteristics of the translator. Aspects of Bergvall’s
“Via” such as the formatting choice, the use of constraint, and the variations
and repetition can be examined and contribute to the full essence and
significance of the text.
The
formatting choices of “Via” are interesting because they contribute to how the
text can be interpreted. Bergvall chooses to write each translation in
alphabetical order, which may seem irrational when compared to ordering the
translations by date or popularity. The choice to alphabetically organize the
translations is intriguing because it can allow for different interpretations
of Bergvall’s intent. This method allows readers to notice that the text “emphasizes
the materiality, rather than the content, of the poem.” (Kaplan). Focusing on
the materiality shows that Bergvall is trying to get a message across about the
translations. Majorie Perloff points out that the alphabetization of each
translation “collapses historical time and emphases the relativist nature of
translation.” The choice to organize the poem in alphabetical order places an
emphasis on randomness rather than a chronological order, revealing that there
is no right or wrong translation. By organizing “Via” in this manner rather
than chronologically, Bergvall is contributing to the conceptual nature of her
poem by copying preexisting text and organizing it in a specific way to change
its context and significance. Bergvall also chooses to number each translation,
contributing to the notion that “Via” is simply a long list of translations rather
than a poem. This shows that each translation is different, emphasizing the
fact that translations from different languages can change the meaning of a
text. Another formatting choice that is interesting is that the citations for
each translator simply include the last name and the year at the end of each
translation. Reed states, “this uninterrupted undifferentiated flow makes it
difficult to weigh the merits of the individual translators”, while Kaplan
questions, “Why not provide the first names of translators?” The fact that the
translations do not include as much information about the authors as they could
have shows a greater emphasis on the translations themselves rather than the
sources or the dates. This further proves the significance of “Via”, that
translations can majorly transform the meaning of the same three lines.
The process
of creating “Via” is important in extrapolating the significance of the poem.
Bergvall exemplifies the use of constraint to create conceptual poetry. She
limits herself to the translations available to her at the British Library as
of May 2000. She also limits herself to alphabetizing the translations and
using only the last name and date to cite the translators. Kaplan shows that “On
its own terms, Bergvall’s poem remains quite readable as its constraint only
reinforces its meaning.” The constraint is able to “reinforce the meaning” by
making it clear that the differences in translations are emphasized. “Via” can
be called an Oulipian work due to its strict procedural process of
alphabetizing solely the first three lines of various translations of Dante’s “Inferno”.
A significant Oulipian work is Eunoia
by Christian Bök. Eunoia constrains
itself to using words that contain only one type of vowel to tell a story. The
constraint used by Bök contributes to the meaning of his work by showing how
fascinating the English language is by how it can make sense of nonsense.
Similarly, the constraint used by Bergvall shows that translations from
different languages of the same text and the nature of the translator can
change the meaning of it drastically.
By placing
47 different translations of the same three lines next to one another, Bergvall
uses repetition to make slight differences seem huge. These slight variations
prove that each translator interpreted the original text differently. For
example, the first line of the text varies in meaning from translation to
translation. Translation number 27 states, “MIDWAY life’s journey I was made
aware”, while translation number 28 reads, “Midway on our life’s journey, I
found myself” (Bergvall). The differences between these two translations are
subtle but very profound. Number 27 is a more passive tone, while number 28 is
self-independent. Translation 27 alludes to an outside object or being making
the main character aware, while the next translation has a feeling of
independence because the main character makes himself aware. It is also notable
that translation 27 seems to omit prepositions. Kaplan also notes these subtle
differences: “[the poem] relies on the speaker eschewing responsibility for
being lost. In the first 39 translations listed, the speaker accepts
responsibility for his predicament only eight times. In the other stanzas, the
speaker suddenly “found himself” (lines 2, 6, 14, 22, 25, 29, 37, 41, 45, 62,
etc.) lost through no apparent fault of his own and repeatedly and passively
states that the right path “had been lost” (lines 34, 42, 63, 114, and
138, italics mine), assigning blame to some force larger than his person.” This
major difference in the varying translations shows that each individual
interprets things differently. This can be attributed to general personality
differences between individuals; some might be more likely to blame themselves
for an error while others will blame anything but themselves for a mistake. The
connection to music is also notable. A common practice in music is to have
several variations on a common theme, which is very similar to what is being
shown in “Via”. Variations and repetition, therefore, are a common occurrence
in everyday life, simply showing natural differences in individuals and how
they interpret the world. This difference in interpretation is what Bergvall is
creatively pointing out by appropriating 47 translations of Dante’s “Inferno”
and throwing them together in one poem. The new context of this poem, which
clearly changes the meaning, elucidates the purpose and significance of
conceptual poetry in general: to deliberately change the context of already
existing text to tell a story or make an engaging argument.
It is
interesting to show how translation from language to language can change
fundamental meaning of the original text. This phenomenon can be seen in Google
translate if a sentence is typed and translated to several different languages
then translated back to English to see how much the original text has changed.
Bergvall shows this same occurrence in a more intriguing way with “Via”. “Via” is a compelling piece of conceptual
poetry that uses 47 different translations of the first three lines of Dante’s “Inferno”
to recontextualize the language and tell a story about how translations change
over time. Bergvall achieves this by utilizing a specific format, constraint,
and repetition to create the poem. It is also interesting that “the differing
translations listed in “Via” invite readers to reassess whether their
understanding of the “Inferno”
is the correct one. Similarly, the listing of so many incongruous translations
induces readers to examine the act of translating, as well as to wonder how the
English-speaking world might have purposely or inadvertently interpreted the
text in the last 200 years.” (Kaplan). Although conceptual poetry such as this,
a long list of translations, may seem mundane and boring, it never is; the
reader must search and interpret the significance to make it worthwhile.
Photo of Caroline Bergvall
from http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Bergvall.php
from http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Bergvall.php
"English Translations of Dante's Divine Comedy." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_translations_of_Dante's_Divine_Comedy>.
Filreis, Al. "A Note on Two Versions of Caroline
Bergvall's 'Via'" Jacket 2. N.p., 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://jacket2.org/commentary/note-two-versions-caroline-bergvalls>.
"Inferno (Dante)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)>.
Kaplan, Genevieve. "How We Read Caroline Bergvall’s
“Via” and Why We Should Care." Jacket 38 - Late 2009 - Genevieve
Kaplan: How We Read Caroline Bergvall’s “Via” and Why We Should Care.
Jacket 2, 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://jacketmagazine.com/38/bergvall-by-kaplan.html>.
"Oulipo." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,
n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oulipo#Oulipian_works>.
Perloff, Majorie. "The Oulipo Factor: The Procedural
Poetics of Christian Bök and Caroline Bergvall." Jacket 2. N.p.,
Aug. 2003. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://jacketmagazine.com/23/perlof-oulip.html>.
Reed, Brian M. "‘Lost Already Walking’: Caroline
Bergvall’s ‘Via’." Jacket 2. N.p., Oct. 2007. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://jacketmagazine.com/34/reed-bergvall.shtml>.
Saroyan, Aram. "VIA." Poetry Foundation.
Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/245738>.
"Variation (music)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variation_(music)>.
I don't know if I totally agree (but I do mostly agree) with your argument that "the comprehensive meaning and purpose to writing “Via” is to cause the reader to closely examine the first three lines of the “Inferno” and realize how translations of the same text can alter the overall meaning and what it says about the characteristics of the translator." I definitely agree that it is part of the purpose but I think there is also a much more artistic aspect to it. I did not do as much research, but I did look at the article that you posted from Jacket2 and I think that I took something else away from it. I think that the characteristics of the translator is very present and that the little differences between translations are definitely present, but I also think that the way she organized it is much more important. If I were doing what she did, my first instinct would have been to organize them in chronological order rather than alphabetical. I think that seeing how the translation over time would serve a better purpose of contextualizing the translation. I can understand the interpretations that you speak about in your post that by not putting it in chronological order the audience is forced to look more at the materiality and I like that it contributes to the fact that there really is no right or wrong translation, however I think that she had more purpose behind her ordering. It is interesting how she kept the date and the last name in the translation rather than just taking the words. By keeping the last name, you can almost learn and infer about the translator as well. A last name is known to be a family name. It tells about the family's background without having to say a word. As a member of the audience, I would be more inclined to "trust" a translation done by someone with an Italian last name rather than other nationalities simply because then I can make an assumption that they spoke a more common form of Italian at some point in their lives. Now that assumption has no evidence backing it up in any sort of way and I have an Italian last name and have never spoken a word of Italian other than ciao, but it is one that I make whether I know it or not. As I write more in this post, I find that I am agreeing with you more and more. Normally I would go back and change my initial argument, however I think that the development of me seeing your side contributes to this discussion. The more that I have thought about this the more I see that her emphasis really is on the translator. She tells us just enough about them by giving us their last name and the date that we can make all the assumptions that we want. In doing this, she is also letting us pick what translation rings the most true to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteKelly, I like the fact that you have a different interpretation on the reason behind how "Via" was organized. Yes, most people would instinctively would organize the translations by date, which would definitely make sense because Bergvall could show how the translations change over time. I think that by not chronologically organizing the translations, Bergvall is saying something very important. She is going against what everyone would instinctively do, therefore sending out a message to readers by perplexing them. By going against the norm, she is sending out a different argument about the materiality of the translations rather that simply showing how they have changed over time. I agree with you that the organization is just as important as every other aspect of the poem and is worth examining. I do have a paragraph dedicated to the organization of the poem but maybe I could have made it more of an integral part of my essay by basing my entire argument off of it. Thanks for the feedback!
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful topic – conceptualism involving classics. Dante’s Divine Comedy is the inspiration for so many great works; the first thing that comes to my mind is Franz Liszt’s famous piano sonata Apres une Lecture du Dante (After a Reading of Dante.) In the light of your analysis, I now wonder what language Liszt himself read it in, and how that might have changed his interpretation of the work: his native Hungarian, Italian (considering he was on a pilgrimage in Italy at the time) or French? And would the piece he composed have been different if he read it in a different language? Reading through Bergvall’s collection, there are very clear differences in wording and formatting; some are vivid, others are more straightforward. And this begs the question: which translation of Dante’s work is most compelling and interesting to read?
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of your arguments (regarding the alphabetization and assessment of the work), but not particularly with the comparison between the work and Eunoia. In the case of Eunoia, the constraint is a much more serious imposition than that of Bergvall. For Christian Bok (with Eunoia), even though there was a constraint on the work’s creation, it was still an original work, whereas in Bergvall’s case the constraints do not change the specific content.
Overall, the analysis was very interesting to read, and I now want to explore the original work as well as Bergvall’s poem even more!