Food Discourse in Contemporary Uzbek Literature — Gulnoza Odilova (7.12.18)

"Gluttony discourse" plays an important role in literature. Research on this topic shows food discourse narratives can be used as a tool to describe individuality, spirituality, mood, and the social status of the protagonist. Eating processes, cooking scenes, descriptions of food, and what and how the protagonist eats can all provide source readers with clues to the writer’s intent, as these scenes usually carry pragmatic national associations. However, in translation the difference between cooking habits, kitchen details, and features specific to dishes in the source and target cultures can result in misunderstandings. This issue assumes a serious dimension in translation studies. In this lecture, Dr. Odilova analyses different novels from Uzbek literature with narrative descriptions of food and eating habits. Odilova suggests some solutions to problems of intercultural communication and crossing cultural barriers in translation of fiction from Uzbek into English in the hopes of better defining a more in-depth description of the Uzbek national worldview.