Browsing by Author "Ranasinghe, D.S.B."

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A comparative study of crime and guilt in Therese Raquin and crime and punishment
(The Research Center for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ranasinghe, D.S.B.
A comparative study on the proletarian condition in Sembene Ousmane’s Le Docker noir and Claire Etcherelli s Elise ou la vraie vie
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2014) Ranasinghe, D.S.B.
Intercommunication of Culture through Translation: A Linguistic Study on the French Translation of Martin Wickramasinghe‟s „Viragaya‟. Ranasinghe, D.S.B. (2017). Intercommunication of Culture through Translation: A Linguistic Study on the French Translation of Martin Wickramasinghe‟s „Viragaya‟.
(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Ranasinghe, D.S.B.
Translation is a mode of communication between cultures. The translator transfers the meaning of the original text to the target text. In fact, translation eliminates the difficulties of communication between languages and cultures. However, when there are significant differences between the two cultures, the translator will face a challenge in translating from source text to target text, as the translator has to overcome the hurdle of cultural differences. Therefore, the translator‟s language competence should be equally good as his knowledge of culture in both target and source languages. This research presents a linguistic study of intercommunication of culture through translation. The Sinhalese novel Viragaya by Martin Wickramasinghe (1956) along with its French translation Viragaya ou le non-attachement (1995) by Ven. Mandawala Pannawansa Thera were studied to examin how the French translation transfers the Sri Lankan cultural setting of the novel for the French readers. The aim of this study is to find out the appropriate strategies, techniques and methods used by the translator to solve the cultural and linguistic barriers encountered in the translation of the literary text from Sinhala to French. The study emplyed a qualitative approach for the research, which includes a close content analysis and a comparison between the source text and the target text. The findings of this research will highlight the major strategies that the translator has used in finding equivalence in the target culture that suit both surface and contextual meaning of the specific cultural word/phrase. In conclusion, this research will be useful for the students who study languages as they will be able to learn the cultural differences between Sri Lanka and France and will also be a guideline to conduct further research on translation and intercultural studies.
The Portrayal of the Femme Fatale: A comparative study of Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin and Pour une nuit d’amour
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ranasinghe, D.S.B.
C. Bertrand- Jennings states that “Zola’s female characters are inevitably linked with evil and death. Indeed they often represent the very principle of evil” (1984, p. 27). This research aims to present a comparative study on the portrayal of femme fatale in the 19 th century French literature by examining the female protagonists of Émile Zola’s: Thérèse Raquin in Thérèse Raquin (1867) and Thérèse de Marsanne in his novella Pour une nuit d’amour (1883). Jennings affirms that one needs to delve into Zola’s writing in a subconscious level to analyse the significance of his female characters; ‘probably in an effort to absolve a deep-seated guilt, Zola shows his female characters as tempters and initiators in matters of sex and love.’ (1984, p. 29). The objective of this study is to explore how Zola depicts the criminality of female protagonists and how they are portrayed as femme fatale. Further, the researcher interrogates as to why Zola presents female as evil in his fiction. A qualitative analysis of data is done by using comparative methodology. This research reveals the similarities of the female protagonists. The negativistic perspective of female sexuality is evident. The significance of this research lies in bringing out how women, sexuality, and sin, depicted in Zola’s fiction are fused in presenting his subconscious level of guilt with regard to nervosity. According to C. Jennings neurosis is a feminine ailment. In Zola’s fiction, the femme fatale depicts the author’s subconscious level of nervosity. The neurosis of women eventually paves the way towards criminality.
The Significance of Animal Metaphors: Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin and Patrick Suskind’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ranasinghe, D.S.B.
The Significance of Animal Metaphors: Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin and Patrick Suskind’s Perfume: The story of a murderer
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ranasinghe, D.S.B.
In philosophy, the concept of animalism is about personal identity which explains that humans are animals by nature as they succumb to their instincts. This research aims to present the significance of animal metaphors depicted in 19th century French literature and in 20th century German literature by examining the protagonists: Thérèse in the French novel of Émile Zola‘s Thérèse Raquin (1867) and Grenouille of John E Woods‘s English translation of the German novel Perfume: The story of a murderer (1985) by Patrick Suskind. This paper argues whether Thérèse and Grenouille are presented as animals. It explores whether animal metaphors that are associated with the protagonists by the two authors depict a lack of spirituality and intellectuality. Specifically, by comparing the animalistic traits such as the internal instincts of lust, violence and aggression of the protagonists. A qualitative analysis of data is done by using comparative methodology. This study compares the protagonists of Zola‘s and Suskind‘s novels to animals. In the preface to the second edition of Thérèse Raquin Zola states that his characters are human animals dominated by their instincts as they are steered into every action of their lives involuntarily. In Perfume, Suskind introduces Grenouille as "a strange, cold creature‖ and ―a hostile animal‖, as the narrator questions ―were he not a man by nature prudent" (p. 17). The key finding of this research reveals that the animal metaphors are used by Zola and Suskind to signify the moral degradation of the protagonists.