THE PERCEPTIONS OF KÍ IN SOUTH VIETNAMESE LITERATURE (1954 – 1975)

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1067.2023-0071

Abstract

In Vietnamese literary history, there have been many different opinions on what is kí and how many subgenres it embraces. The perceptions of kí differ over time and space. For example, in South Vietnamese literature during 1954-1975, the perceptions of kí are different from other periods in Vietnamese literature. Among different approaches, the methods of cultural studies can be applied to explain the changes in the theory and performance of kí in Vietnamese twentieth–century literature in general and South Vietnamese literature during 1954-1975 in particular. In this article, via seeing genres as socially constructed, I will analyze the act of writing and reading kí in the South during the period from historical, social, and ideological contexts.