Orality, Reader Address and "Anonymous You": On Translating Second Person References from Modern Greek Prose

Orality, Reader Address and "Anonymous You": On Translating Second Person References from Modern Greek Prose Irene Kacandes Τότε, η Αννα φόϕ εσε τις κάλτσες της και τα παποϕ τσια της. Τα πόδια τηςδενείχανπιακανÎ-ναενδιαφÎ-Ï• ον.ToσυλλογίστηκεπολλÎ-ςφοϕ Î-Ï‚ καιτακοίταζεπάνταμεπεϕ ιÎ-Ï• γεια·ΛεςναγινότανποτÎ-τίποτατης πϕ οκοπής, τα πόδια της; (Axióti 1982: 9) In concluding their chapter, "What is a Minor Literature?" Deleuze and Guattari broaden their definition of minor authors to those who "make use of the polylingualism of one's own language," finding "points of nonculture or underdevelopment, linguistic Third World zones by which a language can escape" (1986: 26-27). I propose that one such "point" is the ubiquitous use in modern Greek prose fiction of second person phrases like «βλÎ-πεις», «καταλαβαίνετε», or «λες,» as in the quotation above. I read these phrases as markers of the orality of modern Greek culture, or as Walter Ong would label it, revealing his First World bias: "residual orality" (1982: passim, emphasis added). Oral characteristics have been cited to explain the marginalization of modern Greek prose, a reason for its alienation from the major "language": European fiction.1 As a sign of Greek fiction's minority status, one could trace the transformation of second person references by First World translators who "improve" the text, deleting such phrases altogether or distorting their colloquial flavor. My goal in this article is to explore the orality of modern Greek prose by considering translations, primarily English, but also some French and German, of three acknowledged masterpieces: Emmanufl RoÃ-dis's / Pápissa Ioánna; DimÃ-trios Vikélas' LoukÃ-s Laras; and Alexandras Papadiamántis's / Fónüsa.2 I will focus on second person phrases and argue for their literal translation to preserve the conJournal of Modern Greek Studies, Volume 8, 1990. 223 224 Irene Kacandes nection between an oral-aural culture, the inscription of the storytelling situation in 19th century fiction (so-called "reader address"), and the "anonymous you" which appears in much 20th century Greek prose. Why this emphasis on pronouns? In linguistic terms, "I" and "you" are discourse markers; they point to the act of enunciation.3 Furthermore, "I" and "you" are reciprocal; one implies the presence of the other, and both reflect relationship, human interaction.4 It is this interaction that seems to be so crucial for "sustained thought" in an oral culture, for "it is hard to talk to yourself for hours on end" (Ong 1982: 34). Thus oral storytelling can be considered "a particular interaction with this audience at this time" (Ong 1982: 42). I suggest that the preponderance of "I/you" texts5 among modern Greek prose works indicates the importance of relationship to the production of writing in Greek society. The (implicit) model remains oral storytelling. One form through which this model expresses itself, "reader address," is of course a time-honored convention of Western narrative; as we will see, Roidis, among others, makes some use of Western models. But the overall frequency and urgency of reader address in Greek fiction suggests to me that the presence of the "other" L· not just a trope or convention, but rather a necessity for the telling of the tale. Furthermore, this necessity does not disappear when its obvious signs do ("reader address" and/or the actual "characters" of teller and listener). Rather, modern Greek prose finds a "linguistic Third World zone" to continue to assert its oral character. It does this through unidentified pronouns, a floating "I" and anonymous "you," that reveal the hidden presence of storyteller and listener. I would like to support my contentions about the importance of orality and interpersonal relationship to Greek narrative by considering first the interaction between Vikélas' eponymous narrator, Loukis Laras, and his addressee/reader. The tonalities of this interaction are communicated sensitively by Vikélas' first English translator and compatriot, John Gennadius. He, like Vikélas, seems particularly concerned about the fate of storytelling. In his "Preface" Gennadius communicates his sense of responsibility and commitment to this act of translation by carefully creating a context in which the novel can be appreciated.6 He comments in particular on how difficult it is to translate Greek into English and on his decision to translate as literally as possible (xxiii-xxiv). While he does not mention specific problems himself, one obstacle must have been translating forms of address, for by the late 19th century...