The role of spatial changes to paratext in literary translation reception : eleven Chinese editions of Charlotte’s Web

Paratext is designed to mediate between texts and readers, but few studies have analysed the paratextual evolution of the same translation and its function in relation to a work’s reception. This article examines how spatial changes to paratexts in eleven editions of Rongrong Ren’s Chinese version of Charlotte’s Web have a bearing on the translation’s reception. A qualitative analysis of reader comments on social media shows that: (1) an allographic preface adapted from a book review arouses some readers’ interest but acts as a spoiler for others; and (2) changing the translator’s preface to a postscript reduces the risk of giving the plot away in advance. In addition to demonstrating the role of paratext in relation to translation reception, the article further argues that, on a methodological level, researchers should note the paratextual differences between editions when conducting reception studies.