Narration Combined With Realistic, Vivid Descriptive Methods

Ba Chua Hon is written entirely in the third person (100%).

Not only in short stories, two long works of Son Nam are also narrated in this form. In Bà Chúa Hòn , standing in an objective position to observe the character of Cô Huội in the process of changing from a beautiful, talented girl to a majestic and respectable Bà Chúa Hòn, Sơn Nam captures and perceives the behaviors and manners of the character Bà Chúa during the pioneering period, helping readers think about the good qualities of an unusual, mature, prematurely aged rural girl, different from other women in the way of life, the way of behaving with events and people around. The space is still wild and full of dense forests, people still treat each other with the "law of the jungle", can solve everything by killing without blinking an eye. The image of a majestic, strong girl appears like a halo of light of a pioneering period in the work. The girl was steadfast against those who opposed her, she did not hesitate to eliminate the greedy, had a way to deal with cruel people like Muoi Hau, and used her sincere heart to reform crazy people like Cau. But for the people living on Hon, she was caring and attentive, so she was loved and respected by everyone. But in the end, she hated the fighting; tired of always having to think to solve so many "unsatisfactory" problems in her position as Lord Hon, Son Nam let his character shake off the dust of the world, finding peace in the Buddha's door. With this narrative style, the more the objectivity of reality increases, the more hidden the role of the creative subject becomes. The ending of the story is surprising and the philosophical lesson is revealed for the reader to contemplate.

Sometimes Son Nam also uses a narrative style that is not entirely objective - a subjective narrative style - a method that minimizes the distance between the author and the character, which can be called "dualism". At this time, the writer is required to deeply grasp the character's inner self, this method both describes objective events and delves into the character's world of soul and thoughts. Each story, no matter what topic it is written on, by using this form, the writer lets the reader witness the phenomenon of things in a realistic and complete way. A situation in The House on the Front Street describes a way of life of people in the transitional period of the country. When Mr. Phan asked his eldest son how he lived in his wife's hometown, how he was treated by the revolution, the author let Thien answer in a comfortable, easy-going, humorous way like his easy-going nature "Too easy... you've been living like a play since the national era. (...). I'm outside the circle, how can they scold me. On the contrary, if they order me around and I do something wrong, I will be criticized. In short, I talk half-truths and half-lies all day long, yet I still have food three times a day.

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meals, drinking wine... without paying" [7a; 229]. In Son Nam's works, sometimes the character's voice almost blends with the author's voice, the third-person narration, although recounting events as they happened, actually behind the character there is always the invisible image of the author, it can be said that this is a creative but interesting split of the writer. Sometimes the character and the author are two, but sometimes they merge into one. The writer borrows the character to express his own opinions and viewpoints. In December, the birds return , the thoughts of the character Tu seem to speak for the author's heart: "How majestic! How beautiful! Oh, the first Vietnamese to come to Kien Giang to enjoy the grace of Heaven and Country and to open up the South" [16a; 215]. In Listening to the birds sing, the writer seems to blend into the feelings of the character Tan when he deeply perceives his own situation: "What can I use it for? Tan is sadder than ever. Not wasting money but still costly, not opening your mouth but still being scolded, not deceiving anyone but why is it so bitter and sour…” [5a; 328].

The writer is like a passerby who, through his keen observation, discovers the unusual in the ordinary flow of life. The narrator stands in an objective position, sometimes entering the character to live, share joys and sorrows, and think with them. The author leads the reader into the character, from which the reader draws his own lessons after each story. Using this narrative method, Son Nam has narrowed the gap between the writer and the reader. The writer stands in an objective position, easily convincing the reader through the narrator's words. Combined with other techniques such as spirituality, memories, dreams, etc., along with a simple and concise storytelling style, the author uses many short sentences to guide the plot, and the tone changes flexibly. Son Nam, like a number of other talented writers, knows how to promote and innovate the traditional method of national literature according to his own intentions to create a unique effect for this classic and popular narrative style.

4.1.2. Narrative point of view

Some researchers equate the narrator (speaker) with the point of view, but others disagree with the notion that the speaker replaces the term point of view, including Stanzel, Genette, Todorov, etc. In the Encyclopedia of Linguistic Sciences , Todorov emphasizes that “It is impossible to identify vision with the means of speech that inherently contain a diversity of very different expressive functions…” [cited in 163; 173]. We agree with the notion that point of view and narrator are only closely related to each other but are two completely different categories.

Narration begins from the point of view, so considering the art of narration in a work must also begin from the narrative point of view and the role of the narrator. Narrative point of view is an element in a literary work. The point of view system is an important element in the formation of a work. Point of view is the narrator's position when observing, perceiving, evaluating... including the distances between the subject and the object, both psychologically, physically, culturally... It shows the writer's thoughts and artistic intentions. According to the Wikipedia Dictionary, "A good story must have a clear and consistent narrator (...). The narrator is a single and limited entity. The narrator cannot convey anything that he does not face. In other words, the narrator looks at the story from the point of view. This is called the point of view" [cited in 163; 171]. Thus, if from the outside point of view, it will create objectivity, however, only seeing the appearance, not going deep into the inner world of the character. As for the inside point of view, the writer is the "omniscient" person of the whole story. When the writer brings the character into the literary world, more or less, the character has a separate life. The character's speech and actions are not completely dependent or dominated by the author's perspective and point of view, but that does not mean that the character's point of view is completely separate from the observation position, but most of the characters are under the author's watchful eye and through the author, the character identifies life.

In Son Nam's stories, the character's point of view almost coincides with the author's point of view. He lets the character speak, think, and act according to his will, and the character speaks for him. After all, most of the characters are the incarnations of the writer. Through the work, Son Nam has chosen a point of view from many positions, sometimes from the outside of the third-person narrator, sometimes from the inside of the character in the story, but sometimes the reader notices a shift in point of view, as well as a flexible combination of inside and outside points of view. In Vach mot hoi , the writer chooses the outside point of view of the narrator. All events, situations, activities, states, and feelings of the characters, and the development of the story are placed under the third-person narrator's point of view. From that point of view, the narrator tells the story of the gold-finding adventure of the two characters Hai Tam and Tu Ba. Drifting on a small boat, Hai Tam falls into the love trap of Nhung - a beautiful girl from the river region. Following the call of love, Nhung left home to find happiness with Hai Tam. The couple joined a gold-seeking team in a new land. After many storms, the struggle with harsh nature, with enemies who, out of selfishness and jealousy, intended to harm them like Mr. Snake, Luc Cu...; with the Chinese bandits who were always lurking to kill them.

people, occupying land... The difficulties, hardships, and hardships... are told in an obvious, realistic, and objective way as if the narrator were living and witnessing everything. Son Nam was successful in fully describing the arduous journey of the group of people, the beautiful, romantic, but tragic love of the couple Hai Tam - Nhung; the uncompromising struggle against the Chinese invaders to regain the homeland of Tu Ba; the patriotism and love for the homeland of the people of the South in the struggle against the invaders.

However, the author does not only use one point of view, but also combines the external and internal points of view in one paragraph. In Chim cuckoo chuong dat , Son Nam stands in the third-person narrative position with an external point of view to recount the arduous journey of an intellectual working for popular education under the French colonial period and uses an internal point of view to recount the feelings of the character Sy before the scene of the country being lost, the house being destroyed, "the call of the mountains and rivers near and far. It is time for Sy to respond, even if it is a small response. (...) and Sy's heart is broken like bean curd, but it is nothing compared to the scene of destruction" [4a; 516]. The shift from the narrator's external point of view to the character's internal point of view reveals Si's torment, sadness and helplessness before the social reality, before his own tragic situation. Just like the way the narrator's point of view moves from the outside to the inside in December Birds Return , the narrator is in the first person position calmly telling stories about large and small bird sanctuaries in the South, the reproduction and residence of bird species, shifting to the sad and wistful mood of the character Mr. Tu when looking at the old wolf bird "perhaps he thought about his own fate and gave birth to many nostalgic feelings" [16a; 214 - 215]. Thus, in the narrator's point of view, whether first person or third person, there is both an inside and an outside perspective. Using that combination helps readers perceive the picture of the daily life of the people of the South. This also creates a polyphonic tone for the work.

There is no standard point of view for every story, therefore, combining and moving points of view is one of the important elements in the art of storytelling. Son Nam knows how to create appeal in each story. The writer has created for himself different ways to approach reality. Son Nam's research in this field is worthy of recognition.

4.1.3. Narration combined with realistic and vivid description method

Narration is the introduction, generalization, explanation, description of characters, events, circumstances, and things from the perspective of a certain narrator.

The narrative part is not only telling the story but also includes describing the subject, analyzing the situation, recounting the character's biography, giving comments, lyrical digressions, author's notes... so the narrative has a very close connection with the descriptive method.

In modern prose, there are many writers who are talented in description such as Southern Nature by Doan Gioi, Northern Village by Kim Lan, Wind by Nguyen Tuan, Sun by Nguyen Hong... Son Nam also has the ability to skillfully use the art of narration combined with description. However, in the way of storytelling, Son Nam does not use many artistic devices while telling the story, does not describe with trite, conventional formulas. The writer's way of description is close to the vivid reality of life, depicting things and events in nature in a realistic and specific way. In particular, the writer highly promotes the metaphorical comparison and figurative language. This makes the literature of the garden writer smooth and full of poetry. In Hon Co Tron , the author uses comparison to describe a seascape at sunset outside Hon Co Tron "The sunset is coming, the scene under the sea shines, the clouds reflect sparklingly like brocade 11 . Night falls, the moon rises. Where the water palace is bustling, what is less bustling than the earthly world !” [15a; 228] . A special descriptive passage, skillfully using the rhetorical devices of personification, comparison, association… to create a splendid and poetic picture of a sunset on the sea. In Huong rung, the author compares “ The creek is too small, winding like a horse’s intestines, connecting through the lungs , round and distorted like stomachs, livers, spleens… ” . The comparison is close and everyday, creating an interesting style for the writer’s writing style. It is even more impressive when the author compares the image of “ a few dry trees with their roots uprooted, floating back and forth like a corpse with its hair hanging down ” or in Song Ganh Hao , the image of crocodiles “It seems like that thing (…). A piece of wood? A corpse? Absurd! If so, it would have disappeared with the water. On the other hand, it slowly drifts back… flickering like thousands of fireflies sitting close together” [16a; 190] . In Cay hue xa , the author compares “The ground moves in clumps, a skinny snake struggles to rise, raises its head high, its gills flare like a grater …” [14a; 190-191]. In Day hoi ba cua , the author describes the night scene in the river area “ On the thirtieth night, the sky is as dark as ink . The rice field water flows over the coastal area. The black mangrove forest in front of us is like a wall” [12a, 164]… The comparison is the result of flexible association, life experience, and experience.

11 The writer bolds words/phrases to highlight illustrative evidence.

Son Nam's rich knowledge of the Southern region: "The deep green cajuput forest reflects on the red, shimmering water, especially at night when the moon shines, fireflies fly and perch on the cajuput branches like a market " (Buffalo "len" season) [16a; 43].

There are passages that combine the descriptive and narrative methods in an interesting and vivid way. In the Buffalo “Leaning” Season , the author writes, “In October, the water receded. By the end of the month, the rice fields were exposed, and young grass sprouted and grew green all the way to the horizon. The rain stopped early. The mountains became majestic. During the whole season, the rice grew four or five meters high following the water; now the rice lay flat on the ground, piled high. The floor of Uncle Tu’s house also collapsed. Life returned to normal” [16a; 44]. Another passage in the First Rainy Day of the Season demonstrates the writer’s extremely talented and humorous ability to both tell and describe: “What a sad scene! It seemed like I was the only one standing against the sky and stepping on the ground. After a long time, the plane roared over the Third Post. Behind the bamboo grove, the orders from the neighborhood next to the post were dark clouds, lacking fire and smoke because the rain was falling sporadically. Because I was tired of the loneliness, I ran quickly towards the coast./ The evacuation became a gentle, soft poem like a folk song ” [16a; 53]. Many of Son Nam’s works combine narrative and description like this. Sometimes the description and comparison go beyond the words because of its suggestive power and ability to deepen. This way of expression is repeated in the works, proving the strong and profound inspiration of the writer from the new land towards his homeland.

The combination of narration and description in Son Nam's works is one of the important factors that shows the writer's artistic style. His narration and description always create flexibility and fluidity for each of his stories. However, through the survey of his literary works, we realize that unlike some other writers, Son Nam pays more attention to the means of narration than description. He always explores and exploits the storyline more than paying attention to the way of description. Description is just a highlight for the story situations that he sets up to make the story more vivid and attractive. Perhaps, according to him, this is the way for him to directly express his view on life, to convey his thoughts and feelings to the reader without going through any intermediary stages. Reading Son Nam's writing, it is difficult to find complicated, intricate structures, difficult and mysterious situations. The story structure is as simple as the story of many aspects of everyday life. There are no dramatic conflicts or sharp contradictions, or overlapping situations because of different realities in history, but just life as it is. This is also the unique point of Son Nam and also the point that creates the style of the writer of the Mekong Delta. With the naked viewpoints

The technique, along with that flexible combination, has created depth for the setting and characters, contributing to forming Son Nam's artistic voice.

4.2. Artistic tone in Son Nam's works

In artistic creation, tone is important to the artist. The concept of tone is mentioned in Oriental aesthetics through familiar concepts such as "literary breath", "literary atmosphere"... Tone is one of the most meaningful artistic elements in poetics as well as in the writer's style. Currently, theoretical researchers refer to tone as a decisive factor for the artist to create his brainchild. It shows the perspective, expresses the nuances of emotions, stance, and attitude of the artist towards life. It is not only a matter of artistic style but also an important factor that forms the content of the work. Tone is the "soul" that governs the entire work and this is also the most important factor to distinguish the writing of one writer from another, to create the writer's style. Researcher Tran Dinh Su believes: Tone is the expression of the subject's attitude and emotions towards life, while the tone of the work depends on the main inspiration of the narrative. Le Ba Han defines "Tone is the attitude, feelings, ideological and moral stance of the writer towards the phenomenon... Tone reflects the social stance, emotional attitude and aesthetic taste of the author and plays a very important role in creating the writer's style... Without a certain tone, the writer cannot write a work" [60; 134-135]. Researcher Nguyen Dang Diep also said about literary tone: "Tone in prose is often coldly objective, while poetic tone is imbued with subjectivity" [42; 41]. Thus, tone is one of the very important artistic elements for the writer's artistic style. Literary tone not only allows readers to recognize the artist's uniqueness, but also has significance as a criterion for determining talent. A talented artist must create a distinctive voice in his artistic creation. Studying a writer's artistic style cannot help but study and identify that writer's artistic voice. When accurately identifying the writer's dominant voice, it contributes to identifying their artistic style.

Each writer has a dominant tone that creates his own identity. In Vietnamese literature, there is the bitter tone of Nam Cao before human suffering, there is the satirical tone, viciously criticizing social reality of Vu Trong Phung, there is the elegant, delicate tone of Nguyen Tuan... then in Son Nam, the tone

The tone that creates the unique identity of the "Southern garden writer" is considered by some researchers to be the "slow, leisurely tone, along with other tones in Son Nam's short stories, blending together, unifying, shaping his style" [21; 94 - 95]. Reading Son Nam, whether in short stories, novels or memoirs, we all see that the author uses many tones, each tone suitable for a story, sometimes solemn, sometimes bitter, sometimes angry, sometimes resentful, but also sometimes expressing humor, revealing intelligence, wit... No matter the tone, Son Nam always shows simplicity, rusticity, intimacy, tenderness and closeness, containing philosophies, life lessons of life but imbued with witty humor, revealing the writer's attitude, thoughts, and feelings towards the phenomena of life. However, through studying Son Nam's works, we realize that the writer's main tone is a rustic, simple tone and a lyrical, profound tone, in addition to humorous tones and philosophical contemplation, creating a polyphonic tone in Son Nam's literary tone.

4.2.1. Rustic, rustic tone

In the 50s - 60s - 70s, in the Southern literary world, writers with smooth and delicate writing styles such as Vo Phien, Doan Quoc Sy, Mai Thao, Nguyen Manh Con, Duyen Anh, Chu Tu, Ho Huu Tuong, Phan Nhat Nam, The Uyen, especially female writers Tuy Hong, Nguyen Thi Thuy Vu, Nha Ca..., different from them, Son Nam chose for himself a very typical Southern writing style, the writer delved into reality, private life, the fate of the working people in the river region. The things he wrote in his works were simple, realistic and imbued with everyday life. Saigon readers at that time loved him for the strangeness, the soulfulness of a countryside that they had only imagined in their imagination, while the people of the Southwest loved him because his stories were as close as their own lives. Describing and reflecting the nature and daily life of the Southern people with simple, natural stories... therefore, Son Nam's simple, rustic literary tone is enthusiastically received by readers.

Son Nam often uses a rustic and lyrical tone to tell stories. In the short story Dong Thanh Tuong Tuong, Son Nam describes the people of Ta Loc who were tricked into pulling the broken boat of the Western mandarin back to Can Tho market, they were both angry and frustrated "Especially the return trip on foot. They sang and danced. Those who were strong enough should go quickly, go home to make their wives and children happy. Those who were weak should sleep on the banks and in the bushes" [15a; 111]. With a sincere voice, readers realize that the life of those who went to open up the land was extremely difficult. The author's writing style seems to spread out what is inherent in life, it is both close and

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