FROM COMMENTARY TO LITERARY CRITICISM: JIN SHENGTAN’S INFLUENCE ON VIETNAMESE CRITICAL WORKS OF VIETNAMESE LITERARY FIGURES NGUYỄN VĂN SIÊU, PHẠM QUỲNH, AND DƯƠNG BÁ TRẠC

Authors

  • Bui Thi Thuy Minh Department of Vietnamese Linguistics and Literature, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Vietnam
  • Tran Minh Hung Tay Do University Can Tho City, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejls.v6i1.597

Keywords:

Jin Shengtan, literary criticism, aesthetic emotion, literary modernization

Abstract

Jin Shengtan was a prominent literary critic in China during the Ming–Qing period. He laid the foundation for a personalized system of literary criticism that emphasized emotional response, aesthetic intuition, and humanistic values in engaging with literary works. This paper explores the influence of Jin Shengtan on Vietnamese literary critical thought in the 19th century through three representative figures: Nguyễn Văn Siêu, Phạm Quỳnh, and Dương Bá Trạc. By analyzing their commentaries, essays, and artistic perspectives, the study reveals how Jin Shengtan’s ideas were adapted and localized in the Vietnamese context. This process contributed to the development of a distinctively Vietnamese mode of literary criticism—emotionally rich and deeply humanistic.
In doing so, the paper sheds light on a pivotal transitional phase from traditional commentary to modern critical thinking in early 20th-century Vietnamese literature.

 

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Author Biographies

  • Bui Thi Thuy Minh, Department of Vietnamese Linguistics and Literature, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Vietnam

    Ms. Bui Thi Thuy Minh is a lecturer in the Department of Vietnamese Linguistics and Literature, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SSSH), Can Tho University (CTU), Vietnam. She earned her doctoral degree in Literary Studies in 2021 and has since specialized in both Vietnamese and foreign literatures, with a particular emphasis on Chinese literary works. Her academic interests include literary theory, linguistic analysis, Hán Nôm studies, ancient literature, and the pedagogy of Vietnamese and international literatures. In addition, she is actively involved in curriculum development, testing and assessment, and professional training. She can be contacted at bttminh@ctu.edu.vn.

  • Tran Minh Hung, Tay Do University Can Tho City, Vietnam

    Mr. Tran Minh Hung is currently a lecturer at Tay Do University, Can Tho City, Vietnam. He can be reached at tmhungcantho@gmail.com.

References

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Published

2025-04-28

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Articles

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