Issues That Need Further Research and Discussion

Vietnamese literature is leaving this playground empty for the flood of detective and fantasy stories from world literature [142].

When discussing the role of the detective genre in life, Van Gia made quite convincing comments:

Nowadays, looking at these literary works, we are more open-minded when welcoming them and in fact it will be beneficial for us every time we come into contact with literary works that do not always focus on finding social meaning in a crude and uncertain way! The genre itself is not at fault, what is important is how the user uses it and to what level, as well as the attitude and ability of the person enjoying it [39, p.13].

In addition, there are also a number of articles published in magazines, research and criticism works, collections and introductions of works more or less related to authors and detective stories such as: Southern Literature in the early 20th century (1900-1945) by Hoai Anh, Thanh Nguyen, Ho Si Hiep (1988), Outline of the relationship between French literature and modern Vietnamese literature by Hoang Nhan (1988), Southern Prose in the first half of the 20th century collected by Cao Xuan My (volumes 1, 2), introduced by Mai Quoc Lien (1999), History of Vietnamese Literature textbook by Nguyen Dang Manh (2000), Journalism and literature in the period 1932-1945 by Le Thi Duc Hanh (2001), Vietnamese Literature in the first half of the 20th century by Mai Quoc Lien (editor-in-chief), Nguyen Van Luu and Nguyen Cu (collected, compiled - 2002), Brief study of Vietnamese literature from the beginning to the present by Bui Duc Tinh (2005), Southern Literature in the New Land (volumes 1,2) by Nguyen Q. Thang…

Maybe you are interested!

During the research process, we found a number of doctoral theses that mentioned issues related to the thesis such as: The formation and development of the Vietnamese prose novel genre in the South from the late 19th century to the early 20th century by Ton That Dung (1993), The contribution of Southern Vietnamese national literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the modernization process of Vietnamese literature by Le Ngoc Thuy (2001), The modernization process of Vietnamese novels from the late 19th century to the early 20th century by Cao Xuan My (2001), Southern novels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Vo Van Nhon (2008).

In general, research works since 1986 have changed a lot compared to the previous period with a rather new, open and liberal perspective in the spirit of

spirit of innovation. Most research works try to delve deeper into understanding and re-evaluating the role and position of genres, authors and works based on the inherent objective values of the genre, so there have been many reasonable and emotional comments based on reliable documents. However, there are still extreme opinions in comments and perceptions, requiring researchers to have time to discuss frankly, in a scientific and democratic spirit.

1.2. ASSESSMENT OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION

In general, over the past century, research and study activities on the Vietnamese detective story genre by experts have been very modest. In terms of scale, there is still a lack of monographs, long-term, systematic works; most of them are just articles and a very small number of theses, dissertations... In the early stages, most of the articles and research papers focused on evaluating the detective horror, fantasy, and investigative works of Thế Lữ and Phạm Cao Cung. In-depth research on the detective story genre was almost never done. In some specific cases, there were also people who gave general comments on this genre, but often expressed a harsh, unsympathetic view. Detective stories have always been ranked second in the scale of literary values; among experts, there is still a rather heavy prejudice, considering this "second-rate literature", "hybrid, cheap thriller, not beneficial to literature".

In the second half of the 20th century, the research situation has changed a lot. Especially since the time of the country's renovation and international integration, issues related to the detective story genre (genre theory, authors, works, etc.) have been re-evaluated in a more objective way. Researchers and readers have had a more open view of this genre. Detective stories are considered a genre that is "fascinating, suspenseful, scientific and has made remarkable contributions". Research on the detective story genre in the first half of the 21st century has had "breakthrough" changes, with many new and valuable discoveries. Notably, the collection and evaluation of the contributions of Pham Cao Cung and Southern detective writers.

1.2.1. Agreed issues

It can be seen that the research and introduction of detective stories took place quite early. A series of articles on detective stories in the early 20th century by Khai Hung (1934),

Nguyen Cong Hoan, Vu Ngoc Phan (1942)... to Pham The Ngu (1965), Nguyen Van Dan (1997)... especially the articles published in the early 21st century by Pham Dinh An (2006), Doan Le Giang (2006), Tran Thanh Ha (2006), Vo Van Nhon (2006), Tran Huu Ta (2006), Nguyen Thi Thanh Xuan (2006), Nguyen Van Trung (2006)... show that the research on this subject has become richer and more diverse over time. The works since 1986 have demonstrated the spirit of innovation in the study of Vietnamese literature in general and detective stories in particular. The efforts in researching, collecting, introducing and popularizing detective stories have reaped many valuable results.

In our opinion, in the process of researching Vietnamese detective stories, some of the following basic issues of the genre have more or less received consensus from experts:

Firstly, about the origin of detective stories : based on the imitation of Western detective stories and Chinese crime stories, combined with traditional literature, writers in the early 20th century created a new literary genre; that is Vietnamese detective stories.

The Vietnamese detective story genre has its own unique features, both in content and form; it has its own laws of motion. Due to the influence of the historical and social circumstances of Vietnam in the early 20th century, it was formed quickly, contributing to the modernization of Vietnamese literature. However, the Vietnamese detective literature genre "is only a very blurred and broken line in the history of our country's literature" [145].

Second, about achievements : The Vietnamese detective story genre was formed by the contributions of many writers such as Phu Duc, Bien Ngu Nhy, Le Hoang Muu, Nam Dinh Nguyen The Phuong, Buu Dinh, Bui Huy Phon ... with stories of different colors (action detective - case - love - chivalry ...). In which The Lu and Pham Cao Cung are considered the two most successful writers in this genre. The detective stories of The Lu and Pham Cao Cung are both influenced by the classic detective stories of American detective writers Adgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in building the image of the detective character.

1.2.2. Issues that need further research and discussion

In fact, Vietnamese detective stories are a subject that is viewed very differently by researchers. This also means that there are many issues surrounding this subject that need to be further studied and resolved.

First of all, there are differences in the assessment of the position, role, and influence of detective literature in the spiritual life of Vietnamese society in general, and in the modernization process of Vietnamese literature in particular. There are two completely opposite assessment trends here. Although the later the affirmation trend is more and more dominant, but because most of the research works have only stopped at analyzing the content and art of the work, there are no works that fully and systematically evaluate the genre, so the persuasiveness is not high.

Discussing the process of birth of Vietnamese detective stories, almost all researchers affirm that its origin is from Western detective novels and Chinese crime stories. However, basically, these are still just general comments, without detailed and complete comparison and proof. It is undeniable that Western detective stories and Chinese crime stories have influenced Vietnamese detective stories, but how much influence?, how much influence?, how is it expressed?, how is the reception and creation of Vietnamese writers? ... are still questions that have not been fully answered. That is, there are still many problems that have not been satisfactorily resolved.

In addition, some issues of “epistemology”, “literary theory”… in reality still have no definitive answer. For example, the connotation of the concept of Vietnamese detective stories?, the process of birth and development of detective stories in the history of Vietnamese literature (with specific questions: Who gave birth to the detective genre? What was the first work? …); the problem of classifying detective stories, genre characteristics?…

Of course, the above issues are not something that no one has ever researched or studied. In fact, over the past long time, they have been more or less mentioned through some opinions of experts. However, there are still many different understandings surrounding the key issues of the detective genre, requiring continued awareness in a more complete and scientific way.

1.2.3. The problems the thesis focuses on solving

Inheriting the achievements of previous researchers and applying the selected research methods, our thesis will focus on solving the following basic problems:

1. Establish the conceptual content of the Vietnamese detective story genre; proceed to divide groups/types of detective stories according to specific criteria. On that basis, systematically present the historical appearance of detective stories, the role and position of this genre in the development process of modern Vietnamese prose.

2. Analyze and examine the main artistic images in the work: detective and criminal characters, artistic space and time; thereby revealing the unique characteristics (character personality, environment, circumstances) of Vietnamese detective stories.

3. Identify the characteristics of plot types, structural art and narrative methods (through point of view, narrator, language, etc.) in detective stories. From there, we can see the author's application of traditional and modern elements to create the work's appeal to readers.

The detective story genre is considered an entertaining game, an intellectual puzzle, one of the important genres of rational literature. This is clearly a big challenge for Vietnamese writers in the early 20th century, because the detective genre both follows the strict conventions of literature and life, but at the same time, is also full of improvisation and dynamism.

Commenting on Vietnamese detective stories, some people think that this genre has no significant value other than entertainment; detective writers only write to satisfy the tastes of a part of the public, write to publish in the newspaper in the feuilleton style, write mainly to earn royalties... This is clearly an incorrect concept, a somewhat superficial way of thinking. In our opinion, detective stories are a new genre, born with the narrative prose in the first half of the 20th century as a historical necessity. The detective genre itself, with its own characteristics, has contributed to perfecting the appearance of modern Vietnamese literature.

CHAPTER 2

THE APPEARANCE OF VIETNAMESE DETECTIVE STORIES IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY

2.1. CONCEPT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF DETECTIVE STORIES

2.1.1. Concept of detective story

2.1.1.1. Detective stories in the perspective of foreign authors

Detective fiction is a product of Western consumer society. Edgar Allen Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue , published in Graham's Lady and Gentleman's Magazine in 1841 (featuring the detective C. Augustes Dupin), is considered the world's first detective story. E. Allen Poe innovated the short story genre, preparing for the birth of science fiction, horror, and fantasy novels, and he became the father of the classic detective novel.

More than forty years later, in 1887, Sir Arthur Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes continued to appear and quickly became the most famous detective character in world literature. However, it was not until more than a decade later, at the beginning of the 20th century, that detective literature in Western countries became popular and developed strongly. And from then on, this term was used popularly and officially in literary life.

In fact, the concept of “detective story”, “detective novel” as well as its value has been understood in many different ways. According to Oxford Learners Dictionaries (first published in 1948), “detective novel” is a story in which there is a murder or other crime and a detective tries to solve it. But before that, in 1922, SSVan Dine – an American detective writer gave “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories” . By 1928, a member of the British Detective Writers’ Club (Detective Club), Ronald Knox, had summarized ten famous principles that he called “Ten Commandments for Detective Stories” (Decalogue). In which, the basic thing to follow is: “The culprit must be introduced at the beginning of the work, the mystery must not be supernatural, the detective must not become a murderer” [140].

In 1941, Raymond Chandler, an American detective writer, in his essay “The Simple Art of Murder”, published in the Atlantic

Monthly , argues that: Detective stories are adventures of a detective character, aiming to “discover a hidden truth and it would not be adventurous if it did not happen by chance to the right person for the adventure” [11, p.59]. Meanwhile, Laurence Divillairs, a French Doctor of Philosophy, commented on the detective genre “as a secondary literary genre, the detective novel (Policier) – in the purest interpretation, is not a noir novel, a counterintelligence novel or a thriller, but a detective novel about hidden meanings” [59, p.107].

Contrary to the views of the above authors, Julia Kristeva, a psychoanalyst and professor at the University of Paris VII, considers detective stories to be “an optimistic genre”, a very noteworthy social phenomenon. According to Kristeva, “it is not entirely out of stupidity that nowadays, readers seem to read or watch only detective stories or films. Is it possible that today people are more eager than ever for the triumph of justice?” [56, p.110].

Researcher T.Todorov, in his essay “Types of detective novels” ( Prose Poetics ), exalts the aesthetic value of detective novels. According to him, detective stories are a special type of literature. They need to be recognized and evaluated according to appropriate criteria. He wrote: “In our society, there is no single aesthetic standard but two standards, and it is impossible to use the same units of measurement to measure “great” art and “average” art [114, p.20]. Argentine writer and literary critic Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) also affirmed: “Our literature is moving towards chaos… In that extremely chaotic era, there is one thing that still retains, modestly, traditional values: the detective story [10, p.707].

However, many experts in the field of former Soviet literature have a different opinion. They do not acknowledge the “legitimate” nature of detective stories and consider it a phenomenon called “paraliterary” . Because of this, people have come up with many different names to refer to works related to this literary phenomenon. For example, “anti-crime literature”, “anti-spy stories”, “intelligence stories”, “counter-espionage stories”, “criminal stories”, “detective stories”…

In the early 20th century, Conan Doyle was the one who created the model for the detective character and the structure of the classic detective story; because of that, the classic detective story is still

is called “British school detective stories”. From the 1920s to 1930s, British authors brought the detective genre to its peak. The main characters in British detective stories are often “policemen”, detectives, gang leaders… Especially, with the character Sherlock Holmes, detective has become a professional profession; the main job is to solve crimes, through scientific means and methods of thinking.

The concept of the detective story genre has many changes according to the actual writing. In the first half of the 20th century, in the West, detective stories were generally built according to the "puzzle" structure model. The characteristics of this model are "puzzle" - "puzzle solving", logical thinking, reasoning, and inference. That is why the detective character is often turned into a cognitive "machine". In this context, of course, the artistic and literary qualities are pushed to secondary places. It is understandable that some researchers do not admit to putting detective stories in the "temple of art".

From 1945 onwards, the concept of detective stories is often used to refer to literary works in which a detective investigates a case through a process of scientific deduction to uncover the secret of the story. Many writers have succeeded in this genre. Many works attract a huge number of readers from all classes, all races, all ages, based on the innovation in structure and detective character image.

It can be said that with the rapid development of the genre, writers in each country have their own concepts, so different branches have arisen such as classic detective, dark detective, political detective, intelligence detective - counterintelligence, criminal detective..., and the method of expression is also more or less different.

From what has been presented above, it can be seen that the concept of the unique features of the detective story genre that authors and literary researchers abroad have discussed, in general, revolves around two key elements: characters and events :

- Characters : Detective stories are an intellectual game, a literary genre that focuses on entertainment, so the detective character plays a particularly important role. The investigation process is always conducted based on the detective's logical thinking and scientific reasoning.

- Event : The opening event of a detective story is often mysterious, but the journey to discover the truth of the case always aims for clarity and transparency. The key issue