Research on Vietnamese Legends in the Middle Ages from a Comparative Perspective

- In the article Some doubts about the currently circulating version of "Truyen Ky Man Luc" , researcher Vu To Hao affirmed that the currently circulating version of "Truyen Ky Man Luc" has many works added by later generations (Vu To Hao, 1978)

- Researcher Nguyen Nam affirmed that the inclusion of Chinh phu ngam in the work Nam Xuong nu tu luc is the result of the process of consciously introducing extra-textual elements into the text to increase the artistic effectiveness of the work (Nguyen Nam, 2000)

- In the article Re-establishing Nguyen Du's background and the time of writing "Truyen Ky Man Luc", researcher Nguyen Pham Hung affirmed that Nguyen Du was a Confucian scholar and hermit who wrote "Truyen Ky Man Luc" before 1525 (Nguyen Pham Hung, 2006).

- Researcher Dinh Van Minh presents his views on the work Tan Bien Truyen Ky Man Luc (Dinh Van Minh, 1996)

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- Researcher Kawamoto Kurive has an article on Various issues related to “Truyen ky man luc” (translated by Ngan Xuyen) (Kawamoto Kurive, 1996)

In addition to studies on the entire collection of stories, Truyen Ky Man Luc is also analyzed at the level of each story for some typical stories. In Sexual Culture in Vietnam in the 10th - 19th Century (Pham Van Hung), The Story of Encounter at the Western Camp (belonging to Truyen Ky Man Luc ) is analyzed to show that this work has a very open and liberal attitude towards sexual issues. Researcher Nguyen Dang Na analyzes the tragedy of Vu Thi Thiet in the article "Nguoi con gai Nam Xuong" - a human tragedy ( The Road to Decoding Vietnamese Medieval Literature ). In the Collection , Volume 2, researcher Phan Cu De believes that Truyen Le Nuong ( Truyen Ky Man Luc ) is a novel reduced to a short story because it includes many important events.

Besides Truyen ky man luc , the work Thanh Tong di thao is also mentioned by many researchers. In Draft of Vietnamese literary history , volume 2, researcher Nguyen Dong Chi analyzed the two most typical works of Vietnamese legends, Truyen ky man luc and Thanh Tong di thao . In which, Thanh Tong di thao has typical contents such as praising the law, kings, and theocracy; criticizing wrong religious and belief phenomena; and relatively praising the role of women.

Thanh Tong's Di Thao is a work rich in lyricism, with a light and unrestrained writing style different from the examination writing style. In the book Research and discussion of some authors and works of medieval Vietnamese literature, volume 1, researcher Bui Duy Tan affirmed the value of Truyen Ky Man Luc and Thanh Tong Di Thao . He believes that these are the two most typical achievements of literary memoirs written in Chinese characters. In the book Hoang De Le Thanh Tong - talented politician, outstanding culturalist, great poet , researcher Vu Thanh affirmed that Thanh Tong Di Thao was a breakthrough in the development process of the genre of medieval Vietnamese short stories. Also in this work, researcher Pham Ngoc Lan analyzed the memoirs in Thanh Tong Di Thao , researcher Le Nhat Ky analyzed some typical magical elements of Thanh Tong Di Thao . The book Le Thanh Tong about the author and the work has a number of articles on the value of content, art, and introduction to Thanh Tong Di Thao . In the book History of Vietnamese Literature , researcher NI Nikulin analyzed the commentary of Thanh Tong's manuscript and the stories Hai Phat Quarrel and Duyen La Hoa Quoc belonging to Thanh Tong's manuscript . Through that, he affirmed that Thanh Tong's manuscript had severed traditional connections with historical records, created fictional characters, and built a magical world that was sometimes joyful and sometimes gloomy.

In addition, some articles in the magazine also contributed to affirming the value of the Thanh Tong 's will such as:

- The text "Thanh Tong's Last Testament" - Thoughts from medieval literature (Tran Thi Bang Thanh, 1999)

- About the book "Thanh Tong's Last Testament" (Tran Ba Chi, 2006)

- Study the story "Flower and flag fate" ( Nguyen Nam, 1996)

Some other articles research legendary stories or stories close to legendary stories such as:

- New genealogy (Tran Thi Bang Thanh, 2010)

- The issue of author and contribution of "Nam Thien Tran Di Tap" ( Tran Nghia, 1996)

- Vu Quynh's feelings and efforts when he wrote "Linh Nam Chich Quai" ( Bui Van Nguyen, 2001)

- Biography (Nguyen Kim Oanh, 1997)

- Vu Trinh and "Kien Van Luc" ( Nguyen Cam Thuy, 1983)

- Nguyen An through the work "Tang thuong ngau luc" ( Tran Dinh Viet, 1994)

The process of surveying studies on Vietnamese medieval legends from the perspective of works shows that Truyen ky man luc and Thanh Tong di thao have received the attention of many researchers. Researchers have studied the translation, author, number of works, content, and art of these two works. In general, researchers have affirmed that these are the two most representative works of Vietnamese legends. In addition, a number of other strange and legendary works have also received the attention of researchers.

1.1.3. Research on Vietnamese medieval legends from a comparative perspective

Some researchers have compared legends with other genres in Vietnamese medieval literature to classify and highlight genre characteristics. In the Poetics of Vietnamese Medieval Literature, researcher Tran Dinh Su compared legends with historical stories: "Historical stories are stories that tell the background of a character and often tell the whole life, including the descendants of that person, what they do, what official position they hold, but without a plot, legends here have their own plot and do not necessarily require telling the whole life of a character" (Tran Dinh Su, 2005, p.295).

Some researchers compare Vietnamese legend collections to see more clearly the similarities and differences. In the book Poetics of Medieval Vietnamese Literature, Truyen Ky Tan Pha (Doan Thi Diem) is commented to have many poems of mutual admiration. The level of use of poetry in this work is greater than in Truyen Ky Man Luc (Nguyen Du). Truyen Ky Tan Pha can be seen as a genre of composite poetic story. The plot plays the role of creating situations for the characters to demonstrate their poetic talent. The story collection Thanh Tong Di Thao is compared with Truyen Ky Man Luc to show that Thanh Tong Di Thao does not build the plot as carefully as Truyen Ky Man Luc . Researcher Nguyen Huu Son compared the works in Nam Ong Mong Luc and Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu. He commented that there are 17 stories in Nam Ong Mong Luc that are very similar to the works in Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu even though these two works have their origins and writing styles independent of each other. This may be because both used a common source of materials.

The most numerous studies of Vietnamese legends from a comparative perspective are the comparisons of Vietnamese legends and Chinese legends. Researcher Tran Nghia examined Han Nom novels of Chinese origin, generalizing the way our ancestors received foreign literature: creative reception (Tran Nghia, 2005). The comparisons of Truyen Ky Man Luc (Nguyen Du) and Tien Dang Tan Thoai (Cu Huu) account for the most numerous studies on the relationship between Vietnamese and Chinese literature. Ha Thien Han wrote the preface to Truyen Ky Man Luc, briefly commenting on the similarities and differences between this work and Tien Dang Tan Thoai of China. Researcher Tran Ich Nguyen, when writing the comparative study of “Tien Dang Tan Thoai” and “Truyen Ky Man Luc”, examined the authors, the birth and circulation of the two works, the content, origin, techniques, connotations and influences of the works. This survey shows that Tien Dang Tan Thoai influenced Truyen Ky Man Luc . However, writer Nguyen Du "revived it, making every story belong to him, belong to Vietnam" (Tran Ich Nguyen, 2000, p.359). In the book Approaching the genre of ancient Chinese literature , researcher Dinh Phan Cam Van surveyed Vietnamese and Chinese legends; determined that Vietnamese legends adopted some structures, plots, and motifs of Chinese legends; analyzed the "Southern flavor" in Vietnamese legends to affirm the creative reception of the genre. In the book The influence of ancient Chinese novels on ancient Vietnamese novels, researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa affirmed that Truyen Ky Man Luc has a close relationship with Tien Dang Tan Thoai and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio . Nhan Bao affirmed that Truyen Ky Man Luc is a creative imitation of Tien Dang Tan Thoai (Nhan Bao, 1998). Researcher Pham Tu Chau compared Moc Mien Thu Truyen and Tay Vien Ky Ngo Ky of Truyen Ky Man Luc with Mau Don Dang Ky and Lien Phuong Lau Ky of Tien Dang Tan Thoai to highlight the similarities and differences (Pham Tu Chau, 1999, p.38).

– 45).

Some other articles analyze the similarities and differences between Truyen Ky Man Luc (Nguyen Du) and Tien Dang Tan Thoai (Cu Huu) such as:

- Compare the love story between a human and a ghost in "Tien Dang Tan Thoai" and "Truyen Ky Man Luc" (Dinh Thi Khang, 2016)

- Add some thoughts on the relationship between "The Story of the Kapok Tree" and the story "The Peony Lamp" (Dinh Phan Cam Van, 2005)

- "Truyen ky man luc" from a comparative literary perspective (Nguyen Dang Na, 2006)

- On the relationship between “Tien Dang Tan Thoai” and “Truyen Ky Man Luc” (Pham Tu Chau, 1987)

Besides comparisons with Chinese legends, Vietnamese legends are also compared with legends of other countries. In the article “ Vu nguyet vat ngu” by Ued Akanari and “Truyen ky man luc” by Nguyen Du , researcher Doan Le Giang stated that Vu nguyet vat ngu and Truyen ky man luc were both influenced by Tien dang tan thoai (Cu Huu). This article also affirmed the value of the word “ki” in two legendary works of Vietnam and Japan: ki is something unusual, something rare, even something that does not exist and is used as a means to express reality (Doan Le Giang, 2010). The book Characters in Vietnamese and Korean medieval fantasy stories from a comparative perspective by Kim Kihyun (Kim Ky Hien) compares many legendary works of Vietnam and Korea to show the similarities and differences of characters and cultural aspects expressed in the legends of the two countries. The book Vietnamese Medieval Literary Poetics states that Cu Huu's Tien Dang Tan Thoai influenced Kim Ngao Tan Thoai by Kim Thoi Tap (1434 - 1493) of Korea, Ngu Gia Ti Tu by Asai Ryoi (1612-1690) of Japan, and Truyen Ky Man Luc by Nguyen Du (16th century).

XVI) of Vietnam. Such influence comes with changes in content and structure. In Comparing the genre of talented men and beautiful women novels in some Eastern countries in the medieval period (China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea) , researcher Ha Thanh Van also affirmed that the legendary stories of the Tang Dynasty not only influenced later Chinese novels but also influenced the novels of Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

In addition, some other articles compare Vietnamese legends with Korean and Japanese legends in particular, and East Asian legends in general such as:

- The theme of love in Korea's "Kim Ngao Tan Thoai" (compared with Vietnam's "Truyen Ky Man Luc") (Kim Seona, 1995).

- The model of the courtesan in East Asian medieval literature (Phan Nguyen Phuoc Tien, 2012)

- Let's compare "Tien Dang Tan Thoai" by Cu Huu (China) with "Kim Ngao Tan Thoai" by Kim Thoi Tap (Korea), "Truyen Ky Man Luc" by Nguyen Du (Vietnam) and "Ca Ty Tu" by Asai Rey (Japan) (translated by Pham Tu Chau) (Riftin, 2006).

- The historical literary significance of Korean-Chinese-Vietnamese legendary novels, ( Jeon Kye Kyung, 2006).

- Chinese legends in Korea and Vietnam ( Pham Tu Chau, 1995)

- The female character in "Kim Ngao Tan Thoai" and "Truyen Ky Man Luc"

(Luu Thi Hong Viet, 2012).

- Comparative study of Korean - Chinese - Vietnamese legendary novels through "Kim Ngao Tan Thoai", "Tien Dang Tan Thoai", "Truyen Ky Man Luc" (Jeon Kye Kyung, 2004).

The process of surveying studies on Vietnamese medieval legends from a comparative perspective shows that researchers often compare story collections and specific stories of Vietnamese legends with each other and compare Vietnamese legend works with Chinese legends. Among them, the comparison of Vietnamese legends and Chinese legends accounts for a larger number. In particular, the comparison of Truyen Ky Man Luc ( Vietnam) and Tien Dang Tan Thoai (China) is of most interest to researchers. From analyzing the similarities and differences between these two works, researchers have affirmed that Truyen Ky Man Luc is influenced by Tien Dang Tan Thoai, especially in terms of structure, motifs, etc. Besides, researchers also affirm that this influence is accompanied by changes in content and art. In particular, the characters, space and time of Truyen Ky Man Luc bear strong Vietnamese characteristics. In general, our ancestors have received foreign literature flexibly and creatively.

1.1.4. Research on Vietnamese medieval legends from the perspective of folk culture

Many researchers affirm that Vietnamese legends have elements of folk culture and trace their origins and analyze their functions in legends. The problem of studying Vietnamese legends in the Middle Ages from the perspective of folk culture has

close to the topic of the thesis Vietnamese legends in the Middle Ages from a mythological perspective (compared with Chinese legends in the Middle Ages) .

In the book Vietnamese Medieval Literature: Genre, People, Language, researcher Dinh Thi Khang affirmed that Truyen Ky Man Luc was influenced by folk works, Buddhism, Taoism... The article The genre of Vietnamese medieval fantasy stories, the process of emergence and development to its peak by Vu Thanh (Book Vietnamese Literature of the 10th-19th centuries: Theoretical and historical issues ) asserts that fantasy stories were passively influenced and then the process of these stories consciously absorbing folk literature. In the Collection of Vietnamese Chinese Novels , researcher Tran Nghia affirmed that "In terms of internal origin, Vietnamese chi quai novels, legendary novels and chapter novels are first of all related to the treasure of Vietnamese myths, legends and stories" (Tran Nghia, 1997, p.17). In the article The influence of Taoism on Vietnamese Chinese novels , this researcher also affirmed that Taoism has an influence on the art of character building in legends: the secular becomes the immortal, the immortal becomes the secular. Some characters in Vietnamese Chinese novels have expressed Taoist concepts of life and death... (Tran Nghia, 1999). In the article Zen - Lao trends in the concept of Vietnamese literature in the late medieval period , researcher Le Dac Tuong also affirmed the influence of Taoism on late medieval literature (Le Dac Tuong, 2019).

Some other researchers have affirmed that legends have a close relationship with folklore, religion, and the influence of foreign literature such as:

- Similarities between folk plot models and creations in Nguyen Du's "Truyen ky man luc" (Nguyen Huu Son, 2010).

- Thinking about the origin of Vietnamese medieval legends (Le Duong Khac Minh, 2016).

- The concept of gods and the textualization of legends in medieval prose stories (Tran Thi An, 2003).

- The life of legendary characters outside of works and in Vietnamese folk beliefs (Nguyen Ngoc Hiep, 2005).

Some researchers have delved into the study of the characteristics and functions of the magical elements in legendary works. In the article The realistic value of spiritual elements in medieval literature , researcher Le Thu Yen analyzed the realism behind the seemingly magical and fantastic elements (Le Thu Yen, 2014). In the article The journey of the ghost character in Vietnamese literature , researcher Bui Thanh Truyen analyzed the characteristics of the ghost character in folk literature, medieval prose, and modern literature. In which, the ghost character in medieval prose comes from artistic inspiration and the desire to decode the mysteries in life and the spiritual world (Bui Thanh Truyen, 2011). In the article Dreams - illusions and the desire for happiness in couples in “Tien Dang Tan Thoai”, “Kim Ngao Tan Thoai”, “Truyen Ky Man Luc”, “Vu Nguyet Vat Ngu” (Nguyen Thi Mai Lien, 2014), researcher Nguyen Thi Mai Lien affirmed that Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese legends have many imaginary characters with happy dreams, and the imaginary space and time are limitless. In the book Folklore and Literature : Research from the perspective of spatial displacement in fairy tales and legends, researcher Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan relied on the theories of a number of researchers from the ritual, structural, and psychoanalytic schools to study spatial displacement in legends. From there, this researcher analyzed similar spatial displacements in fairy tales and medieval legends, adapting Folklore: metaphysical space in medieval legends. In addition, in the article The effectiveness of the strange element in "The story of the judge of Tan Vien temple" (Le Thi Hong Nhan, 2011), Le Thi Hong Nhan also analyzed the strange element in a typical work of Truyen Ky Man Luc .

With its unique beauty and enduring vitality, Vietnamese legends have long been of interest to many researchers. However, to date, within the scope of our available materials, it can be concluded that there has not been any comprehensive research on Vietnamese legends in the Middle Ages from a mythological perspective. However, the above research works have provided us with many suggestions for choosing the topic of Vietnamese legends in the Middle Ages from a mythological perspective (compared to Chinese legends in the Middle Ages).

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