Means of the Addressee’s Image Transformation in Russian Translations of the Novel “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again” by J.R.R. Tolkien

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the means of the recipient’s image transformation in Russian translations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again”. The research focuses on the study of meta-textual comments and remarks addressed to the reader, as well as on the analysis of ways to construct the image of the addressee in various Russian translations of the work. The aim of the paper is to identify the features of the representation of narrative instances in the original text and its translations into Russian. The paper analyzes 7 of the most famous translations of the story (versions by N.L. Rakhmanova, K.M. Korolev, V.A. Matorina, Z.A. Bobyr, A.A. Gruzberg, N. Prokhorova, V.I. Bakanov – E.M. Dobrokhotova-Maikova). The research methodology is based on a comparative functional and semantic analysis of the original text and its translations. Special attention is paid to the study of modal indicators, constructions with mental verbs and means of maintaining the illusion of dialogical interaction with the reader. The results of the study confirm the importance of the images of the narrator and the reader in Tolkien’s story. The analysis of translations shows the preservation of the original strategy in most versions, however, it reveals significant differences in the representation of the addressee’s image: omission or addition of comments intended for the reader, a change in the modal frame of utterance, transformation of indicators of modal categories. The most noticeable differences are presented in the translation by K.M. Korolev, where there is an increased frequency of appeals to the reader, as well as the version by V.I. Bakanov – E.M. Dobrokhotova-Maikova, which is characterized by a more emotional presentation of the material. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a detailed study of the narrative strategies of the original text and their transformation in Russian translations. The research contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms of text formation and the features of intercultural communication in the translation of fiction.