Miejsce dramatów Stanisława Ignacego Witkiewicza w polisystemie literatury amerykańskiej w świetle wybranych koncepcji z kręgu Translation Studies

This dissertation aims to establish the position of the dramas written by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz in the American literary polysystem within the framework of Translation Studies Theory. The Polish writer’s plays were translated into English for the first time by Daniel C. Gerould and Christopher S. Durer in the 1960s. The thesis deals with the movement of Witkacy’s work within the American literary system, and proves that although Witkiewicz’s dramas have never reached the centre of the system and today they still occupy a peripherial position, they have been staged in the American off-Broadway theatres since their introduction, becoming a part of the American culture repertoire as it is defined by Itamar Even-Zohar. His polysystem theory, together with André Lefevere’s notion of refraction, Gideon Toury’s descriptive translation theory, Lawrence Venuti’s domestication and foreignization strategies and Susan Bassnett’s reflections concerning the specificity of drama translation shed light on the complexities of the process of translation. They allowed to look at the renditions of the Polish playwright’s works and their assimilation in the hosting system from a broad perspective of the dialogue of cultures.