REIMAGINING THE MACABRE: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON TRANSLATING EDGAR ALLAN POE

Abstract

This study analyses the Macedonian translations of three Edgar Allan Poe short stories—“The Masque of the Red Death”, “The Oval Portrait”, and “Eleonora”—focusing on linguistic, stylistic, semantic, and cultural aspects. Using Newmark (1988) and Venuti’s (1995) theoretical frameworks as starting points, it examines how translators balance formal and dynamic equivalence, foreignization and domestication, and the preservation of Poe’s Gothic poetics. Lexical precision, rhythmic phrasing, and symbolic imagery are rendered in Macedonian, with French translations by Baudelaire and Spanish translations by Cortázar providing comparative insight. Even though each story poses unique challenges, the Macedonian translations achieve substantial semantic and stylistic fidelity, sometimes simplifying ornate structures for readability. Comparison with French and Spanish versions indicates that alternative lexical or syntactic choices could slightly enhance Gothic intensity or ambiguity, yet the Macedonian renderings effectively convey Poe’s aesthetic and psychological impact. The study also contrasts human and AI translation, concluding that while AI produces technically accurate and consistent text, human translators preserve nuanced interpretation, layered meaning, and subtle rhythm, tone, and cultural resonance essential to literary texts.