HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATIONBANG JEONG YUN IMAGE OF THE NEW WOMAN IN SOME TYPICAL WORKS OF THE SELF-RELIANT LITERARY GROUP tù lùc v¨n ®oµn AND IN KOREAN LITERATURE DURING JAPAN
Trang 1HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
BANG JEONG YUN
IMAGE OF THE NEW WOMAN IN SOME TYPICAL WORKS
OF THE SELF-RELIANT LITERARY GROUP (tù lùc v¨n ®oµn) AND IN KOREAN LITERATURE DURING JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD
Specialty: Vietnamese Literature
Code: 9.22.01.21
SUMMARY OF THESIS OF PhD IN LITERATURE
HANOI - 2020 The thesis is completed at:
Trang 2Instructor: Assoc Prof Dr Tran Van Toan
Assoc Prof Dr Le Hai Anh
Review 1: Prof Dr Tran Nho Thin
University of Social Sciences and Humanities
Review 2: Assoc Prof Dr Hoa Dieu Thuy
Hongduc University
Review 3: Assoc Prof Dr Dang Thu Thuy
Hanoi National University of Education
The thesis will be defensed at the University Level Thesis Assessment Council of Hanoi National University of Education
At … 00' date … moth … year 2020
The thesis can be searched at:
Trang 3Library
- Vietnam National Library
Trang 41 The reason to choose this topic
1.1 Vietnam under the colonial rule of French andKorea under the rule of Japanese have manysimilarities in historical, cultural and social context.Although the two countries had to endure oppression,invasion, and suppression from the colonists, at thesame time they absorbed and were influenced bymore modern culture, in which women have many newopportunities to participate in social life
Influenced by more modern culture, women havebecome more aware of themselves and had a desire forequality, independence as well as to liberate and assertthemselves, contribute to society All of these changeshave made the woman one of the central artistic images
in the literary works of many typical authors at that time.This is the reason for us to conduct a comparativestudy of the image of the woman in the works of TheSelf-reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn) and inKorean literature under the Japanese rule
1.2 Understanding the similarities anddifferences in the image of women in Vietnamese andKorean literature in the early twentieth century notonly helped identify the attributes of regional literature
in a period of special sharing common ground(influenced by Confucianism, colonial context,modernization trend .), but also helps to betterunderstand the characteristics, both achievements andlimitations, in literature and culture of the twocountries gia This is also a trend of literary researchnow as well as in the future
1.3 As a Korean graduate student, I have beenworking at the Korean Embassy in Vietnam for 6 years
Trang 5During that time (with the main job of registering forcivil status and nationality for multicultural families,especially marriage and divorce registration forVietnamese brides in Korea) I noticed a lot of Negativeproblems arise due to a lack of understanding ofculture and people between the two countries.Therefore, I have the desire to clarify the culturalcharacteristics of Vietnamese and Korean women, tobetter understand the spirit, habits and conduct ofwomen in the two countries, and to help them haveconditions to better integrate with the livingenvironment in their new country.
Those are the reasons for us to conduct acomparative study of the image of the woman in thecomposition of the Self-reliant Literature and thewoman in Korean literature in the Japanese colonialperiod
2 Research Purposes
- Notice the laws of the acculturation and literaryinnovation of each nation after being influenced by theWestern
- Understand the literary and culturalcharacteristics of the two countries
- Understand more about the culturalcharacteristics of Vietnamese and Korean women,thereby contributing to promoting the exchange andintegration of citizens between the two countries,especially with women
3 Object and scope of the study
a Object of the study
The object of study that we identify is the image
of the woman in the works of The Self-reliant LiteraryGroup (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn) and in Korean literatureunder the Japanese rule
In particular, the term "new woman" mainly
Trang 6associated with the inner meaning is the formation of
a new standard of women under Western influenceswith two main meanings: anti-religious (Confucian);have a sense of ego, a sense of the right to life
b Scope of the study
- The Self-reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực văn
đoàn): focus on investigating the novels: Đoạn tuyệt (The End), Nửa chừng xuân (Mid-spring), Lạnh lùng (Estrangement).
- Korean Literature: focusing on the works:Worship ancestors in the mountain, Weaver Girl,Mother and daughter, New Year Eve and BeautifulSunset
4 Research mission
- Surveying the typical works about women of theSelf-reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực văn đoàn) and theKorean literature under Japanese rule period
- Conduct comparisons to find out the similaritiesand differences in the image of women in the Self-reliantLiterary Group (Tự Lực văn đoàn) and the Koreanliterature under Japanese rule period
- Finding out the socio-cultural characteristics toexplain the differences and similarities of the femaleimage in the Self-reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực vănđoàn) and the Korean literature under Japanese ruleperiod
- Interdisciplinary research method
6 New contributions of the thesis
Our dissertation is the first project to compare
Trang 7these two objects to show similarities and differences,thereby helping to not only look more deeply into theachievements of each group, each country's literature butalso allow generalization of literary compositioncharacteristics within regions in a specific historicalcontext.
7 Structure of the thesis
The thesis consists of 4 chapters:
- Chapter 1 Overview of the research situation
- Chapter 2 Social and cultural background for the
appearance of the image of woman in the works of TheSelf-reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn) and inKorean literature under the Japanese rule
- Chapter 3 The similarities of woman’s image in
the works of The Self-reliant Literary Group (Tự LựcVăn Đoàn) and in Korean literature under the Japaneserule
- Chapter 4 The differences of woman’s image in
the works of The Self-reliant Literary Group (Tự LựcVăn Đoàn) and in Korean literature under the Japaneserule
Trang 8CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION
1.1 Comparative literature and its application
to Vietnamese and Korean literature in the early twentieth century
Comparative literature has existed for a longtime, gradually developed and to this day, it has beenidentified as "an academic field dealing with the study
of literature across nation”
The basic object of comparative literature areliterary phenomenon belonging to different literaturebackground of different ethnic groups Hồ Á Mẫnidentified comparative literature as an internationaldiscipline: “Its basic spirit is to treat the worldliterature as a whole, to place literature from differentcountries into a holistic structure to discern andcompare it ( ) thereby describing and mastering therules and relationships of literature "
According to researcher Nguyen Van Dan,comparative literature consists of 3 parts: (1) studyingthe relationship between literature backgrounds whichhave influence on each other; (2) study of thesimilarities between the literature backgrounds whichhave no direct influence on each other (similaritiesprescribed by historical conditions); (3) study thedifferences between literature background to show thedistinctive characteristics of literature in each nation.The methods used are very diverse, including thepositivistic method, typology, the structured method,the semiotic method, the system method, thesociological method, the psychological method Theaspects to be taken into account include genre, theme,thought, style, trend, school of art
Trang 9In short, comparative literature is a scientificdiscipline that points out the similarities and differencesbetween literary phenomena of different literaturebackgrounds Therefore, the comparison between twomodern Vietnamese and Korean literature in the earlytwentieth century, especially through a common motif
- the image of the new woman from the perspective ofcomparative literature theory, is fit and helpful
1.2 History of studying the image of woman
in the works of The Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn)
1.2.1 About the content of thought
Most researchers highly appreciate the works ofThe Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn)because of their thoughts through the image ofwomen: “ It is a harsh condemnation about thereligious and moral ceremony, feudal family practices,upholding the slogan of women's liberation andpersonal liberation ” Truong Chinh since 1935 soonpointed out the hidden implicature behind the love andmarriage story in Đoạn Tuyệt (The End): “The intention
of Mr Nhat Linh when he wrote Đoạn Tuyệt is to makethe reader love the new and hate the old After readingDoan Tuyet, if we hate the old, love the new, find away to leave the old and follow the new, the author isconsidered to be successful”
The authors Tran Dang Tuyen and Le Quang Hungthink that their thoughts are still throughout anddominate the content of the works: “The uniquefeature of the love novel of The Self-Reliant LiteraryGroup (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn) is that it is not a pure lovestory It not only talks about love with its ownemotional rules, with the joys, happiness, and suffering
Trang 10that it gives couples, but Khai Hung, Nhat Linh, andHoang Dao always consciously integrated some socialreform ideas into their love stories ”.
Referring to the issue of women, it is impossiblenot to mention the image of female characters in theworks of The Self-Reliant Literary Group (Tự Lực VănĐoàn) The world of female characters in their literarynovels is a type of character that researchers call bythe name "new women" The authors Tran Dang Tuyenand Le Quang Hung said: “These characters are calledthe new men and the new women ( ) These people areinfluenced by the cultural ideology, civilization, andlifestyle of modern Western They oppose feudalism,fight for individualism, love and free marriage Theypromote the Europeanization movement from literature,art, clothing to the ways to enjoy material life "
1.2.2 About the expression art
The artistic value is very much interested andpointed out by many researchers This value directlyrelated to the female characters in two aspects:physical beauty and inner beauty
In terms of appearance, Trinh Ho Khoaemphasized the sense of describing the appearance ofthe character: “Starting from The Self-Reliant LiteraryGroup (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn), physical beauty is consideredthe standard for assessing a complete person Thisrepresents a new aesthetic perspective of the era ( )”
"The characters' appearance gradually give the reader agradual satisfaction and evoke a sense of enjoyment"[citing Do Hong Duc; 18/27In terms of inner beauty,Truong Chinh said: “ Doan Tuyet (The End) not only has
a social value, but it also has undeniable psychologicalvalue Nhat Linh used a sophisticated observation todescribe the troublesome states in the characters' own
Trang 11souls and to delve into their inner lives ”.
1.3 History of studying the image of the woman in Korean literature during the Japanese colonial period.
1.3.1 About the content of thought
Overall, the works are appreciated in the sense ofliberating women Kim Mi Hyun commented on the workMother and Daughter: "The work Mother and daughter ofKang Kyung Ae was written in August 1931 and wasrecommended by a Hye Sung magazine editor, so it can
be called as the author's first work Through the work,she tries to find a way to deal with the oppressivesituation of the woman at that time in differentrelationships Thus, the main character always focuses
on the issues of women "Reviewing the work "NewYear's Eve", Kim Min Jeong said: “The work highlights theimage of a woman with the desire to enjoy freedom oflove and be an independent "subject" Therefore, ChoiJung-in became "a woman who aspires to control herown life" Yoon Byung Lo also made the samestatement about the work Weaver Girl: “The characterLee In-Sook was built based on the image of theauthor's wife The main female character has atransition from a traditional woman into a new person.She wants to escape from the old-fashioned traditionalvalues and seek for happiness and real values in lifethrough helping others ”
1.3.2 About the expression art
Korean researchers have pointed out the artisticinnovations in the works of Korean writers Hong KiSam appreciates Choi Jung Hee's ability to describewomen's psychology: “Choi Jung Hee's novel clearlydepicts a woman's psychology, they are different fromthe poor depiction of women in literature in the 1930s,especially describing the conflict between instinct and
Trang 12intellect” Regarding the work New Year's Eve, Kim YunSik commented: “The art of character development,which is completely different from other works of thesame time, has created the unique andunmistakableness of this work ( ) Besides, it is alsonecessary to pay attention to the way of telling thestory, which is in the form of writing a letter tellingone's life It may carry the subjective of the author, but
it helps to fully express what the author wants toconvey in each character ”
1.4 Sub-conclusion and orientation of the thesis
The above research history in both Vietnam andSouth Korea shows the excitement, dialogues, and alsothe differences and contradictions in the studies ofwomen in literary works at the beginning of the early20th century in the two countries In Vietnam as well
as in Korea, the researchers all pointed out andappreciated that the literary works of this period havesuccessfully built up the image of "the new woman",make "the new woman" became a prominent literarysymbol in the early twentieth century However, fromthe perspective of comparative literature, it can beseen that no study has put these two objects into ameticulous and comprehensive comparison The aboveworks, on the one hand, deeply exploit thecharacteristics and achievements of each literature,but on the other hand, they cannot see those features
in a broader scope, beyond the limits of nationalborders
Regarding the issue of comparing the image ofthe woman in the works of The Self-reliant LiteraryGroup (Tự Lực Văn Đoàn) and in Korean literatureunder the Japanese colonial period, we, on the one
Trang 13hand, continue to go deeper into the characteristicsthat have been previously pointed out by researchers
of the two countries, and at the same time overcomethe abovementioned limitation of the previousresearchers The multifaceted similarities of the twocountries, the two literature in the first half of thetwentieth century, from social context, literarycontext, to ideological movements, cultural trends,literature, vigorous change of writers, and thesimilarity of topics, themes, and artistic images (in thiscase, the image of a new woman) are the basis for us
to implement the thesis A comparative view betweenthe two countries (this is also the basis which allowsthe following works to expand the scope with thecountries and regions mentioned above) not only helps
us identify and generalize similarities, but also at thesame time promote the distinctness and uniqueness ofeach nation and each literary author through the issue
of women
CHAPTER 2 SOCIAL AND CUTURAL BACKGROUND FOR THE APPERANCE OF THE IMAGE OF WOMAN IN THE WORKS OF THE SELF-RELIANT LITERARY GROUP AND KOREAN LITERATURE DURING THE JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD
2.1 Traditional concept of feudal woman
2.1.1 The woman in feudal Vietnamese society
From the 15th century, Confucianism in Vietnam,especially the Song Dynasty Confucianism, occupied aunique position and became an official ideology So the
Trang 14Confucian morals which tied to women became muchheavier Although they did not have to follow strictlythe rule of three subordinations (tam tòng), the woman
is still in a weak position compared to men
While men have many social and educationalbenefits (going to school, taking exams, serving asofficials), women have absolutely no suchopportunities, even they are banned The woman isclosely attached to the family space, bound by theresponsibilities for her husband's family anddependent on her husband and children, and themarriage is often arranged by her parents Since 1470,the Le Dynasty has issued 24 instructions tostrengthen the religious rites, making the threesubordinations and the four virtues (tam tòng, tứ đức)become moral standards for women This shows theharsh Confucian conception of female virginity, theinjustice, and the harsh imposed of Confucianism onwomen
2.1.2 The woman in feudal Korean society
During the Joseon period (1392-1910), Confucianismofficially became a unique ideology with "rigid andrigorous rules which tightening the Three Moral Bondsand Five Constant Virtues.”
"The traditional Korean women are also caught
up in harsh and inhumane moral dogmas: "There is nonative language school for women, and even thoughupper-class women are taught literacy, but it isestimated that out of 1,000 people, only two Koreanwomen can read The philosophy imported from China,the superstitious notions, the education system formen, illiteracy, no rights, and rigid customs, have
Trang 15joined together to push Korean women into the lowestposition among the backward peoples of the world ”Thus, Confucianism had far-reaching influences onVietnamese and Korean society in the late nineteenthcentury, in which women had almost no status, no voice.They were turned into victims of the harsh, conservativepractices of feudalism, which bound them within thefamily and in inhuman ethical frameworks.
2.2 Western and the formation of new ideas about woman
2.2.1 The modernization of Vietnamese society
2.2.1.1 Formation of new urban centers and urbanite class.
In order to meet the political, cultural, andespecially economic needs, the colonial governmentcarried out a series of policies to build and develop majorcities across the country In those cities, the class whichaccounts for a large number and has a significant meaning
to the face of urban Vietnam, is the petty bourgeoisie,including civil officers, small businesspeople, intellectuals,and students These new cities, under the influence of theWest, have brought in a new color, which has made urbanlife more active and capable of absorbing much newerthings
2.1.2.2 The emergence of new West-style schools and education policies for women
By the early twentieth century, Confucianeducation was basically completely replaced by the newtype of Western education system and school Regardingthe curriculum, the teaching of Chinese, as well as thecontents of Chinese studies, was limited and strictly
Trang 16controlled Instead, French and new subjects (such asmathematics, physics, chemistry, physiology, history,morality, .) widely taught Learning content is alsoincreasingly expanding with modern Westernknowledge In other words, education is constantlybeing reformed towards modernization andEuropeanization For women's education, there arespecialized schools for women.
2.1.2.3 The proliferation of newspapers and publishing activities to spread new culture
Newspapers in this period had played two majorroles: spreading European-Western ideology and cultureinto Vietnam; demolish the old-fashioned practices,conservative habits of feudal Confucianism and ruralcustoms The growth of the press in general and thewomen's press in particular, has had many importanteffects on women's perceptions The aforementionedjournalists and writers, while spreading the Europeanand Western ideology and destroying the feudalpractices, in a natural and indispensable way, voicedtheir advocacy for the rights of women
2.1.2.4 The influence from new thoughts of Western on people in general and on women in particular
Consists of 2 major movements: the introductionand spread of liberal ideas about people and society aswell as the feminist trend in the West Thesemovements quickly spread to Vietnam and brought anew perspective on the woman
2.2.2 The modernization of Korean society
2.2.2.1 Western and the role of Japan in modernizing Korean society
Trang 17Japan officially colonized the Korean peninsula in
1910, but before that, Japan has taken a series ofmeasures to initially reform the Korean peninsula interms of both economy and society That contributed
to promoting the change and development of theconcepts about people, especially the concept ofwomen who had low social status at that time
2.2.2.2 Urbans and modern Western reception
The process of urbanization, together with theinfluence of Japan and the West, has opened a new lifewith new experiences for women For example, theycould do things such as going to the cinema, going tothe cafe, walking on the bustling streets or goingshopping Urban life has created a new image ofwomen which is far different from themselves intraditional appearance and costumes
2.2.2.3 New education for women
It must be said that Korean education in this periodhas changed significantly Despite being restricted thanmen, Korean women began to enjoy a new and relativelywidespread education during the Japanese colonial rule
It can be said that the new modernized and generaleducation applied by the Japanese government in Koreahas brought about positive changes, including the birth
of a growing group of women, called "modern women",
Sin yosong, translated into Vietnamese means