The plot and artistic language of Vietnamese short stories in the early 20th century - transitions towards modernity

Abstract

From the late 19th century, Vietnamese literature started to change and transform from the medieval to the modern. In the early 20th century, especially from the 1920s onwards, Vietnamese literature gradually entered the trajectory of modern literature quickly and comprehensively with the appearance of many talented writers with remarkable artistic innovations. This is clearly shown in the short story, the “short narrative” genre, which is dynamic and can easily catch up with the changes of society in general and of literature in particular. The process of modernization of short stories in this period was revealed in many aspects, especially in terms of plot, and artistic language, which will be elucidated in this article.