ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualises the current study in six steps. First, it introduces the high status and popularity of the Chinese classic Journey to the West (Xi You Ji), from which Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China, the translation being investigated in this research, is translated. This introduction is necessary because the status and popularity of the Chinese novel are the main reasons for choosing it as the original text. An overall outline of the existing translations of Journey to the West is then given, and various translations of the novel are evaluated in terms of their suitability for becoming the subject of study for this research. After that, an explanation is given, from a very practical point of view, on the process of how Monkey, translated by Arthur Waley and published by George Allen and Unwin Ltd, stands out among so many translations as the ideal case study for this research. This is followed by a brief introduction to Monkey. The chapter proceeds to give a critical literature review of relevant studies undertaken previously, including Translation Studies that apply actor-network theory as well as other sociological approaches such as Bourdieusian concepts and other network theories, studies on nonhuman phenomena, and those on the translator Waley and the translation Monkey. The chapter ends with a discussion concerning methodology used in conducting the research. The methodology contains a set of practical methods used to collect data, such as web search and archival study, and another group of methodological rules adapted from actor-network studies, used to guide and regulate data screening and presentation.
