In 1821, Trinh Hoai Duc re-engraved the collection of poems Minh bot di ngu composed by Mac Thien Tich (1718 - 1780) with the title Minh bot di ngu thi thao and wrote an important preface emphasizing that poetry is a place to hide noble thoughts: " [Mac Thien Tich] harbors sadness and emotion from the depths of his heart, not because of a cup of wine or a poem that he writes in vain... " (Translated by Ca Van Thinh) [183, p.320]
In Dang Ngoai, the function of “carrying the religion” of literature was strengthened when the tendency of “literature” to distance itself from “religion” became increasingly stronger. Emphasizing the word “religion” and advocating the restoration of academic style during the Ly and Tran dynasties was to revive the declining literature . 23 Meanwhile, in Dang Trong, the early stage of Confucianism still retained its positive features. Literature aimed at “carrying the religion” but was still fresh and extremely attractive. Nguyen Cu Trinh’s Sai Vai specifically illustrates his artistic consciousness. The work was created to serve the purpose of raising the morale of soldiers when defeating the Da Vach rebels. According to Nguyen Van Sam in Nam Ha Literature , the work was used to perform in the army [183, p.187]. This form and performance environment are noteworthy because it makes the word “religion” in Sai Vai be conveyed in a form with many unorthodox elements. The popular poetic style, not the reading or reciting of poetry in the aristocratic intellectual style, opened up a direction for genre change in Dang Trong literature. In addition, because of the purpose of using literature to consolidate the community, the readers of Dang Trong literature were not only the intellectual class but also included soldiers with low education levels and ordinary people. That forced literature to change its form. In other words, the function of "carrying the teachings" could be realized in creative practice through a number of elements unfamiliar to the orthodox aesthetic standards of Confucian scholars.
Second, the lack of theory in Dang Trong did not necessarily create a weakness for literature. Many great authors in Dang Trong persisted in using literature as a boat to carry religion, as a weapon to eliminate evil, meaning they supported literature.
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23 “Decline” according to the concept of orthodox Confucian scholars is different from our current concept. The decline of literature is due to the deterioration of the imperial examination system. The evil of considering literature as just a fishing rod for fame and fortune causes the decline of academic style. The decline is also due to the fact that talented literature strays far from the standard of “gentleness and kindness”, falling into the expression of private feelings and forgetting the noble meaning of morality.
The chapters are closely related to life, not frivolous literature. Life is lively and constantly changing. Old artistic techniques will at some point become outdated. At that time, a state of less theory and less bookishness is beneficial for writing. The author can freely and confidently choose the most suitable writing method. Nguyen Thong (1827 - 1884), from Tan Thanh district (Gia Dinh), called the rustic literature in the Southern land "the literature of the river and lau lach region ":
“Thong was born in the river delta region of the South Central region, and his literature is like his homeland. Now I am fortunate to have met you, a gentleman of today's morality, abandoning the clumsy and rustic places. If Thong did not write literature about the river delta region but wrote literature about the temples and palaces , wouldn't that be great?” ( Letter in reply to the Grand Minister of Agriculture Pham Truc Duong ) [256, p.853]
From his opinion, looking back at the literary situation in the South, we will discover that in this land there is no clear boundary separating popular literature from scholarly literature. Creativity belongs to each poet, but it is also the result of the unique culture of the new land. The literary character corresponds to the cultural character, as Nguyen Van Trung commented, the South "has only one common cultural stream for all classes." [236, p.105]
In short, the identification of the universe, man, literature with morality gives literature the great mission of educating society. However, along with the emergence of a new consciousness of reality, the function of "romance" was added to the system of artistic functions of literature.
2.3.2. “Romance” function
Literary works are artistic worlds that contain human emotions and feelings. This is a characteristic of literature in all periods, but if viewed from the system of artistic functions, it is only in the later period that the emotional transport role of literature receives proper attention and evaluation. In the previous periods, the "transportation" function was still the only function that was recognized and exalted to the extreme. The situation changed when from the 18th century, the "romance" function held the position of
Intelligence is not inferior to the function of "transmitting morality". In all literary activities from composition to criticism, the awareness of promoting the function of "love stories" has outlined the path of movement from Le Quy Don to Cao Ba Quat. In 1773, Le Quy Don completed Van Dai Loai Ngu . Through this book, he emphasized "love" as the first and most important element of poetry in particular and literature in general:
“I often think that poetry has three main elements: one is love , two is scenery , three is events . The natural flute sounds from within the heart, touching the machine of love; the eye contacts the outside, the scenery touches the mind; relying on the past to witness the present, recording events and telling stories, collecting the spirit; although the author does not have only one element, it is generally not beyond these three elements.” ( Van Dai Loai Ngu ) [46, p.252]
So how is “ love ” understood? During the 18th and 19th centuries, the connotation of the concept of “love” was gradually redefined.
Le Quy Don defined: “ Love is people , scene is heaven, things are the union of heaven and earth to communicate. Take love to explore scene, take scene to meet event, encounter event then speak, person speaks then make sound, scene comes without appointment but comes by itself, speech without expectation but is good by itself, just like that can reach the level of elegant poetry” ( Van Dai Loai Ngu ) [46, p.252]. According to his interpretation, in the above three things “take gentleness and kindness as the root … ” [46, p.252]. Like that, “love” according to Le Quy Don’s interpretation is emotion, feeling but does not contradict with aspirations and ambitions. It is a noble emotion, knowing how to stop within the framework, associated with the plain characteristics of poetry. As a scholar, Le Quy Don does not deny that “the nature of literature comes from learning ; "Only those with extensive knowledge can write well" [224, p.83], but by promoting "love", Mr. Que Duong emphasized the rich world of human emotions. "Love" can include "ambition" but is not limited to the scope of "ambition". Discussing "love" and "poetry" together, but unlike Le Quy Don, Ngo Thi Nham only considered "love" as a way to express "morality":
"As for the poetry of Hoi Am Chu Phu Tu, its meaning and logic are complete, all written from nature, in which teachers and friends practice together, or borrow scenes to express feelings,
Borrowing sentiment to express the way , the poetic destiny of the king's career, so that everyone will be like that." (Thesis "Lien Ha Thi Minh" ) [224, p.143]
Le Quy Don expanded the category of “emotion” but did not contrast “emotion” with “morality”. Confucius praised the Quan Thu ( Book of Songs ) as “happy but not excessive, sad but not hurtful” ( Analects , chapter Eight Discourses ). Later, Confucian scholars all took moderation as the aesthetic standard of literature. According to traditional concepts, Le Quy Don still advocated: “Be careful not to imitate the words of sorrow and desolation” ( Van Dai Loai Ngu ) [224, p.104]. The appreciation of intense expressions of emotion was a unique and groundbreaking phenomenon, causing qualitative changes in 18th-19th century literature. The new awareness of “emotion” and the function of “romance” in literature were not initially generalized in theory but were mainly expressed in writing. Official, orthodox literature has traditionally placed emotions behind, considering emotions as a supplement or dependent on morality. That consciousness was broken when the literary world saw the emergence of a model of a talented Confucian scholar who did not follow traditional rules. The practice of writing with outstanding works such as Chinh Phu Ngam , Cung Oan Ngam Khuc , Truyen Kieu... avoided the function of "carrying the path", focusing on describing the true emotional world of mortal people. The word "love" is first and foremost associated with love, private feelings belonging to the individual. That is what forms the value of literature:
A virtuous and talented person leaves a good relationship as an example for thousands of years.
( Flower Fairy ) [240, p. 433]
Tell me two words deep love,
Broken at the North peak, shallow at the South sea So inspired to write,
Forever love the golden orchid two houses.
This year is the year of the Rat, March.
Feeling sad thinking about putting it randomly and playing.
( Refurbished Glass ) [240, p.623]
Chang'an Little Girl, Alone in the Money
Only the zither is listened to by the wolf, the zither is played without laughter.
( The Little Girl of Truong An Land,
In front of the flowers, alone leaning against the railing. Afraid that my lover will hear,
Put the zither horizontally, just smile but do not play.)
( Emotion ) [184, p.430]
Resentment , sadness , and hatred are all aspects of emotions that make up “feelings”. Literature cannot continue to ignore them as before. There is a resentment of “life and death separation” that makes people feel heartbroken:
The moon is shining brightly, the wife is lost, the husband is crying, the wife becomes a poet, the husband becomes a fool.
I! My life is short, my intelligence depends on fate, I can have wealth and honor, but it is difficult to have virtue.
( On this auspicious day of the month, the wife died and the husband cried,
The wife turned into a corpse, the husband turned into a fool. I feel sorry for my unfortunate fate, causing her to die young.
Rich people can be had, but virtuous people are hard to come by.
( Prayer on the full moon day ) [184, p.318] There is a deep sadness and longing:
The one from Chuong Dai, the one from the other, who can I tell my sorrow to?
( Afternoon Missing Home - Ba Huyen Thanh Quan) [185, p.437] There is a kind of hatred that, even after being endured, still lingers:
The lone moon slowly falls on the western clouds,
What do you mean by sharing hatred?
( Song of the Seven Drinkers – Cao Ba Quat)
(The lonely moon slanted into the clouds in the western sky, It's all gone, leaving only resentment, there's no time to lament.)
( Song of Seven Drinkers ) [116, pp.15 - 16]
Never before has literature written so much about worldly pain. People regret their youth and fear death. The time of the universe revolves around the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but human time is limited. People's attitude towards death has changed from calmly accepting " Living is like putting on clothes - Dying is like taking off clothes " ( Life and death - Tran Thanh Tong) to suffering and despair. All the philosophies of Buddhism and Confucianism about death are no longer enough to comfort the human soul. And the concept of exalting emotions allows the pent-up suffering in the poet's soul to freely flow through the words:
The first time I sold my fragrance, I sold my crazy body.
( The Star Behind the Scenes - Pham Nguyen Du) (She took away half of her pure fragrance,
Leaving the crazy part, is half of my body!)
( On the back of the star ) [184, p.319]
The time of plum and jade meets the valley and the sky,
The farewell is a long and painful experience.
( Crying child – Mai Am) [70, pp.607-608] (Burying a child in the rainy season,
Heartbroken because this separation is permanent.)
( Crying baby )
Self-existent from the middle line of the body, Know where to plant and rely on.
( The Second Son of the Year Kinh Chi - Hue Pho) (Spontaneously, while mother's hand held the thread
Know where to go to give the shirt to the child)
( Crying for the Second Son of Kinh Chi ) [70, p.682]
From creative practice, theory has a basis to draw conclusions about the relationship between literature and the category of "love". Literature is the place to express all the most passionate feelings. Pham Nguyen Du praised the intense emotions in Nguyen Ky Trai's poetry:
“He missed so much that he wrote the Poetry Collection about the endless longing , all those poems, spitting blood as the verses , tearing his heart as the words . Reading the poems, it was like seeing him sobbing, beating his chest and stomping his feet; like seeing him laughing and talking endlessly, gently and lovingly; like seeing him choking and groaning, feeling moved; like seeing him going through the day when the mirror broke and he shed tears, standing before the time when his children were orphaned and his wife was widowed, and feeling heartbroken.” (Preface to the Poetry Collection about the endless longing by Nguyen Ky Trai ) [184, p.354]
Literature has the function of exploring everyday life, satisfying the need to express, write about private pain and joy, praising the beauty of pure, passionate, sincere, and faithful love: "There has always been no greater suffering for people than love, and no greater difficulty in life than meeting." (Preface copied after the story "The Eighth Talented Flower Fairy's Song" - Cao Ba Quat) [116, p.1685]. Nguyen Du named his poetic story " The New Tale of Doan Truong" . It can be said that the title encompasses the general spirit of literature in the later period. Lamenting the fate of "talent not being able to meet", "love not being able to rejoice" is a new voice, the central task of literature. Pham Quy Thich, a close friend of Nguyen Du, also lamented " A piece of talent is the common misery of all generations" ( De Tu Doan Truong Tan Thanh ) [185, p.98]. The importance of this task is no less than the task of reviving politics and educating people. Literature, in the words of Nguyen Cong Tru, is “entangled with an unfinished love” ( Ca tu biet ). In other words, literature needs to look at reality from a humanistic perspective, responding to the desire to express oneself of the individual:
“ Tan Thanh is a book of musical interpretations of the Kim Van Kieu story , which records the romance. This collection of romantic stories existed before. Mr. Hong Son To Nhu once enjoyed it, saw the strange events, felt sorry for the talent and love that did not meet a soul mate, so he performed it.
national language, titled as " The New Tale of Broken Hearts" . The story collection is old but the sound of broken heart is new." ( General discussion of Peach Blossom Dream Record - Xiang Jiang Mei Ge Fu) [141, p. 610]
A broken dream awakens from a fateful relationship, A cruel fate holds a gong of resentment, A piece of talent is a tragedy for all eternity,
New and fresh, who cares?
( The New Debut of Broken Hearts - Pham Quy Thich) (Waking up from the broken heart dream, the fate has been washed away,
The fateful song has ended, but resentment still lingers.
Since ancient times, talented and loyal people have only suffered. Who did this Tan Thanh story ultimately sympathize with?) [185, p. 94]
The “old-fashioned” and “old-fashioned” characteristics have faded. Literature focuses on finding in the present reality stories and people who are typical of love, turning them into a mirror, but not a mirror of morality but a mirror of love:
“The brocade-embroidered talents, the beautiful ladies of the boudoir, the geniuses, the true love affairs under the sky, who cannot become a Diec Thuong, a Kim Trong, who cannot become a Dam Tien, a Thuy Kieu?” ( General discussion of Dao Hoa Mong Ky , Chapter 1 ) [141, p.623]
From a historical perspective, Le Quy Don "opened the way for the denial of the Confucian view of "poetry and words"" [224, p.84]. Tran Nho Thin commented: "Le Quy Don's discussion of the relationship between love - scene - event, noting that poets use love to respond to the scene, reflected the transformation from "poetry and words" to "poetry and love" in the 18th century's poetic theory" [215, p.242]. However, while promoting genuine feelings in poetry, Le Quy Don did not refute the "neutral" aesthetics of Confucianism. With the concept of taking "gentleness and kindness" as the root, he aimed to regulate emotions in poetry. In other words, Le Quy Don on the one hand promoted feelings as the starting point of poetic composition,