A Multifaceted View of Reality

reflects the object that he does not know and does not want to know, he sees it, observes it and records it by letters as simple characters. However, the intentional point of view is not unlimited or obscured because that point of view comes from within the author, but also depends on the cultural level, observation ability and the orientation of the social ideology or the era in which the author exists.

4.3.1. Multifaceted perspective on reality

For works with large volumes such as: Ten Months in France by Pham Van Anh, Diary of a French Traveler by Pham Quynh, Han Man Travelogue by Nguyen Ba Trac, ... although each work has a different way of expression, the point of view in these works often creates a multi-faceted view of reality. The starting point of the idea of ​​the journey in the work Sang Tay - Ten Months in France is "going to know this and that", going is also to learn, "not just on the school bench, and in a few books is enough; must also learn at the natural school of creation, the wisdom and right of humans all come from experience" ( Phu Nu Tan Van, No. 1, May 2, 1929). With this idea, the narrative point of view in Sang Tay - Ten Months in France focuses on images of life in France with slums, drug addicts, living and studying conditions of Annamese students of different classes, ... to say one thing: France is not completely good as many people think of it. The narrative point of view in Phap du han luc di di has been filtered through the eyes of the journey character who is both a politician and a scholar and journalist. In the eyes of the politician, the plot of the journey is to go to big cities like Marseille, Lyon, Paris to see famous landmarks and monuments, listen to speeches and meet important people such as politicians, educators, scientists. Wherever the author went, he was full of admiration: he praised Mr. K. from Paris for his good speech, the scenery at the church of “Notre Dame de la Protection” as the most beautiful, the “Great French Library” as the richest book store in the world, … even the cemetery was “luxurious”, “stone chamber”, “the most beautiful in Paris”. All to paint an image of France as civilized and rich in cultural values. But in the eyes of a scholar and journalist, going to certain places, meeting certain people related to issues of education, art or history, Pham Quynh chose as subjects for discussion and thorough research. Such forms of comparative argumentation are often found in Pham Quynh’s works: “Our literature is not without good articles and

"The singing profession is not necessarily despicable; what makes it despicable is that the people in the profession do not know how to respect themselves and their own esteem" ( Nam Phong, No. 89, p.382).

Intentional narrative viewpoints, according to G. Genette, can be divided into two types: "external" viewpoints and "internal" viewpoints. If the works of Pham Van Anh, Pham Quynh, Nguyen Ba Trac, Tran Trong Kim often have "external" viewpoints, then A Journey by Nguyen Tuan and Going West by Nhat Linh have combined "external" and "internal" viewpoints. Throughout A Journey, the narrator appears in the first person, but there are many passages where the narrator is "indifferent" or uses another name such as "wanderer", so the journey story is refracted by the character's inner self. Therefore, "stylized" sentences that create this feeling appear a lot in the work: "I look at my face in the pure crystal, the clear cup shows off the blood and delicious wine without any need." ( Going West, p.42)

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The relationship between the narrative point of view and the characters in Vietnamese travelogues is the use of personal pronouns and the change of personal pronouns to change the position of the narrators. In the relationship with the characters, the narrative point of view is a method of speaking, a way of presenting, describing in accordance with the way of feeling, the way of thinking about the reality that the character witnesses, experiences during the journey. In front of the object, which is an object or a person, the character has the need to understand it. If not standing in different positions, the image of the reflection will obscure the other side of the object, where there may be unknown secrets, the limits of the aspirations that the character wants to achieve. Therefore, if different narrative roles are not created, it is impossible to create many points of view, which means only seeing the surface of the object without being able to move inside, where the scenery and people are in harmony.

Travelogues in general, and Vietnamese travelogues in particular, have many works that are not simply travel stories but also contain different sources of information such as: culture, history, economics, politics, science, gender, etc. Han man du ki, Bai ki phong tho tinh Tuyen Quang are works full of information and documents about geography, culture, history, etc. The author is not only the narrator of his story but also stands from many angles of society to reflect reality in the unique way of the travelogue genre. Therefore, travelogues are not only the subject of literary research but have become the subject of many other scientific disciplines and are approached through many critical theories such as: ecocriticism, feminist criticism, etc.

A Multifaceted View of Reality

4.3.2. Narrator's shifting point of view

For small-volume travel writings, the common narrative point of view is the shift between author - journalist - character. The narrator in Nguyen Don Phuc's "Traveling to Co Loa" is initially "anonymous" to discuss the reason for the trip and the type of people; when introducing the reason for the trip, the author's "I" appears to describe the journey, but quickly gives way to the "anonymous" narrator to discuss history; when intervening in the viewpoint and attitude towards historical figures, the narrator appears in the role of "journalist" to steer the travel story into a historical story; then, in the role of "anonymous" narrator, the author brings the travel story back; finally, in the role of "journalist", the narrator identifies himself, tells the story of his childhood memories of having been to Loa Thanh, and identifies the trip with his fellow travelers at the end. The shift in the narrators in the work also changes the tone of the narrative in each paragraph, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes painful, bitter before the injustice of Mi Chau, sometimes passionate, deeply returning to memories of meeting old scenes and old love,... This shift is to interweave many stories, bringing readers to different spaces and times, not just the present Loa Thanh to see the identities or lives hidden behind the crumbling, mossy walls. In the work Cuoc choi nam truc nui, the role of the narrator "journalist" does not play the role of a historical storyteller but becomes a person who confirms information about folk tales about the places on his journey. The narrator in Huong Son du ki by Minh Phuong calls himself "I" to enter the role of a person visiting a temple without any worries in his heart, humming a few heroic and soaring poems. In the works Fifteen Days with Tailed Moi, The Moi in Dong Nai, and The Moi in Upper Dong Nai by Thai Huu Thanh, the narrator refers to himself as “I” but plays the role of a journalist to tell the story and converse with the reader: “Wait, readers, don’t be afraid! These are not real human limbs and heads, they are the remains of apes and gorillas, some as big as humans, which the Moi really like to eat.” ( Nam Ky, issue 68)

The narrator in Vietnamese travelogues in the first half of the 20th century often appeared in many different roles, in which the role of “journalist” was quite popular. This not only shows that the authors were journalists and writers, but also shows that in Vietnamese travelogues there was an objective narrative method that existed alongside subjective elements such as the author’s own thoughts, feelings, and emotions about the subject being talked about.

creating the characteristics of the travelogue genre in this period. Not only in travelogues, the subject often refers to himself as "journalist", but even the early novels of Vietnamese literature also used this kind of address. In the first part of the novel To Tam by Hoang Ngoc Phach, it is written: "Recently, the journalist heard a personal story that his friend had just told, in which he was the main character in this story. The story is very consistent with the above observation, so the journalist writes it down here, intending to present to the young friend an obvious matter of feelings, communication with each other, with causes and results." [47, p.3]. This is an important sign of the characteristics of Vietnamese prose on the journey of genre formation: the role of the press in the development of literature is not only a material means to bring works to the public but also suggests for travelogues to form a form of method of reflecting reality, that is, a technical element in the construction of works. With the characteristics of short journeys with many people traveling together, the narrator in many travel writings appears in the first person plural "we" such as: Some knowledge during a visit to Boi Khe village by Vu Nga, Four years on Cac-ba island by Van Dai, Kiep Bac temple by Nguyen Duy Trinh, Pilgrimage to Nguyen Trai temple by Vo Nga, A pilgrimage to visit Tuc Mac, the old hometown of Tran dynasty by Truc Khe - Le Thanh, ... This narrative is essentially still the role of "journalist" to not only recount the journey story clearly and authentically but also make social statements about ethnic, cultural and historical issues.

From the above analysis, it can be seen that in Vietnamese travel writing, the points of view (mainly the characters and the author) are coordinated with each other, alternating in the narrative system due to the dual nature of the travel writing characters. With this narrative style, the plot of the travel writing work changes from a progressive structure to a zigzag structure, the time and space in the work are constantly changing, the artistic elements therefore appear without losing the principle of objective reflection of the work.

The point of view in travel writing is not as complex as in novels, but it is also very flexible in its own way. The narrative point of view creates diversity in the structure of travel writing, with the ability to naturally connect the inner and outer world, interweave between describing the scene and describing the feelings, creating conditions for poems to appear alongside narrative prose in a reasonable way. The narrative point of view is also one of the poetic characteristics of Vietnamese travel writing in the first half of the 20th century.

4.4. Language

4.4.1. Combination of languages

Travel writing is a genre that is shifting from the outside and the inside to become the "elite" in literature. With the characteristics of the journey literature genre, in the process of searching for "other people", travel writing must constantly renew itself, not only renewing in terms of genre but also renewing language. Philipphe Binh with Book of Records , became the first person to bring the language of the times into travel writing, at a time when Chinese travel writing was gaining a position in traditional literature. In its movement, language in travel writing is not only used as a tool but also becomes a means in the art of language. By using language as a means, travel writing brings objective reality and images of the world into literature, contributing to creating new elements for the history of literature and culture, including language. Therefore, language in travel writing is both historical and characteristic of the genre style.

Vietnamese travel writing is considered the first form of literary composition in the national language. On the other hand, the language of travel writing is a contemporary language, a place to experiment with new languages ​​and a place for literary language to have initial rehearsals before being used as official material. Therefore, the linguistic phenomena that many researchers are currently interested in, the fusion of many different languages ​​in the text and its influence on the cultural environment, have confused its informative and aesthetic properties. Language itself is also a cultural element, it has the right to adapt, transform or shift to perfect itself. While collecting and selecting transitional literary works such as travel writing, people often take modern Vietnamese as a reference system to examine linguistic phenomena. This has caused doubts about the clarity and transparency of language use: borrowing or dependence, old-fashioned or backward, foreign-minded, imitation or innovation, etc. To free ourselves from all these doubts, it is necessary to put the travel language into its own environment for consideration, paying attention to the historical and cultural aspects of communication. In Vietnamese travel writing, the phenomenon of language mixing occurs in two easily recognizable cases, which are the appearance of other languages ​​in travel writing such as Chinese characters in works with Chinese elements and French characters in some works by Western-educated intellectuals.

On the issue of Chinese characters in travel writings, through a survey of Vietnamese travel writings in the first half of the 19th century

In the 20th century, we realized the following problems:

Chinese characters in Vietnamese travelogues in the first half of the 20th century are related to the subject and the cultural environment of the time. The basis for the existence of travelogues with Chinese elements in this period is the creative force and its readers. That is, a large group of Chinese-educated intellectuals became the creative force and a large number of readers who knew Chinese characters, they wanted to fight against the invasion of Western culture but did not like to depend on Chinese culture.

Chinese characters in Vietnamese travelogues have created a Chinese element that is characteristic of a literary period. Travelogues with Chinese elements appeared a lot in the period from 1917 to 1934 and before, when Chinese characters in texts still had an environment to exist. Even Nam Phong published in three languages: Quoc Ngu, Chinese, and French and existed at the time when the contemporary cultural environment accepted it. After 1934, this phenomenon of language fusion became outdated, and Nam Phong magazine was forced to end. Even Nguyen Don Phuc, a Sinology intellectual, who was in charge of editing the Chinese part for Nam Phong, only wrote travelogues in the 1920s of the 20th century. Later, collaborating with Tri Tan magazine, with the work Nam Dan bat chau tuc thao (printed in 29 issues of Tri Tan magazine , from issue 58 to 159), Nguyen Don Phuc created a poetic form to translate meaning from Chinese to Vietnamese called tuc thao. That shows that Nguyen Don Phuc did not abandon Chinese characters but rather made them suitable to the language and personality of the Vietnamese people.

Vietnamese travelogues in the first half of the 20th century incorporated Chinese characters because travelogues existed in a multifunctional nature: informational function, educational function, aesthetic function and tourism promotion function. In addition to the purpose of creating the authenticity of information, travelogues used Chinese characters to preserve relics and national traditions, as a way to reflect reality for works of art. In order to avoid making one-sided judgments about this case, it is necessary to consider the mixed nature of the Sino-Vietnamese language in its integrity and originality. Chinese characters in travelogues are used in the following cases:

Chinese characters in travel writing are used to preserve the original state of a relic, such as parallel sentences, poems carved on stone, stele inscriptions, etc. The following is the case of recording parallel sentences in a communal house in the Travel Writing at Thay Pagoda by Le Dinh Thang:

爲 仙 爲 佛 爲 國 王 生 化 三 身 留 異 蹟。

有 洞 有 湖 有 天 帝 江 山 一 帶 表 奇 觀。

( Nam Phong, No. 48, p.515)

Chinese characters in travel writing are used to record the traces of the character when traveling to ancient places, that is, a way of self-expression of the character, as in Nguyen Huu Tien's Travelogue on Buddha Mountain :

“At the hour of the Goat, I went down to the foot of the mountain to visit Phuc Lam pagoda. There was an inscription on the wall that said: “Going up the mountain to enjoy the scenery, I suddenly became inspired by poetry, unable to collect it all . Chan Ngo Tu joked further: “ I also cannot agree to combine them all.


( Nam Phong, No. 25, p. 49)

Or imitate the ancients in writing Chinese poems to feel the scenery like in the Journey from Cao Bang to Phu Tho by Thai Phong Vu Khac Tiep:

the story of the past

Electric car follows the green mountain range

The story of the past and the future

Once walked to Tam Thanh

(…)

車 蜡 轍 甫 經 周 覽 跡

The car tracks have traveled all over the world.

The story of the past and the future

The dark cave is lit by a bright torch.

( Nam Phong, No. 44, p.140)

Using Chinese characters, the author describes the landscape of his country as beautiful and majestic as the images described in traditional literature:

“Up to now, passing through this land of Trang Chau, I see the lonely orchid tops; looking to the northwest, the mountains run and run, clearly Tan Vien and Tam Dao, two towering mountains over there; looking to the southeast, the earth and sky turn and turn, it seems like the Nam Minh bay is connected somewhere; and the vast and long Nhi Ha river cuts right in front, day and night, the water flows like a running horse, like a rolling dragon, like a rushing elephant; truly the “Hoang Ha”

The water comes from the sky, flows to the sea and never returns.

I will continue to work hard and do my best.

( Nam Phong, No. 63, p. 184)


This sentence describing the scenery was written by a Taoist priest (the author calls himself Tung Van Dao Nhan) during his journey to "the village of Thuong Cat ", it both carries the character's character and creates the sacred atmosphere of the mountains and rivers as if it were coming out of the words . With this way of expression, the scenery and people seem to be in harmony.

There are also cases where the author translates the names of the relics written in Chinese characters into Vietnamese phonetic transcriptions such as: Hong Van Son紅 蕓 山, Ma Kham Son麻 龕 山, Dong Son東 山, Bat Van Son八 萬 山, Phat Tich Son佛 跡 山.

The Chinese characters used in travel writing are ancient Chinese characters that are kept intact when wanting to preserve relics, or are Vietnamized to express the thoughts, feelings or narratives of the subject during the journey. Therefore, Chinese characters in travel writing are different from Chinese characters in texts using scientific writing style such as some articles published in Nam Phong magazine discussing Chinese philosophy. Travel writings with Chinese elements are often associated with "ancient" journeys, to historical and cultural relics, sacred landscapes to create solemnity and antiquity for the travel writing, while contributing to enriching Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in literature.

Another form of mixed languages ​​in Vietnamese travel writing is from French. The subjects of the journeys associated with works using French are Western-educated intellectuals such as Pham Quynh, Nhat Nham, Dao Trinh Nhat, Tung Huong, Dong Ho, etc. The number of works using French is not much and is only used in certain cases such as indicating time in months, naming places, objects, occasionally a short statement by a foreigner that the author hears. Here, we mention the use of French as an artistic technique.

In Sang Tay - Ten Months in France by Pham Van Anh, there is a passage that uses French words, but not to identify but to express the narrative intention:

“We got bored talking and then looked at a book; there was a set of Les Travailleurs de la mer by Victor Hugo, I brought it out, Miss Cuc Tu took a copy, sat down and read. During that time, a funny thing happened, I always remember it, and thanks to that I understood the spirit of the Japanese a little more.

There was a young lady who passed by and saw us reading a book, so she stopped.

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