The significant overseas reception and copyright export of Howard Goldblatt’s English translation of Wolf Totem underscore the attention of this translation has garnered. This dissemination practice demonstrates an effective pathway for Chinese literary works to enter the English-speaking world and expand their international influence. From the perspective of intertextuality theory, this analysis examines Goldblatt’s strategic use of variation in translating Wolf Totem. Focusing on three specific dimensions—intertextual reconstruction, intertextual explicitation, and intertextual loss—it finds that that the translator substantially reshaped and adapted cultural elements from the source text. This strategy effectively bridges comprehension gaps arising from cultural differences while aligning the translation with the cognitive frameworks and expectations of English-language readers. Such translation practice not only optimizes the readability and acceptability of the target text but also establishes a valuable reference model for the global dissemination of Chinese literature.

Xu Yuqi. A Study on Variation Strategies for Chinese Literary Works from the Perspective of Intertextuality: A Case Analysis of Howard Goldblatt’s English Translation of Wolf Totem. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2025), Vol. 8, Issue 9: 14-19. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2025.080903.

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