THE ISSUE OF DIALOGUE IN VIETNAMESE CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL NOVELS

Abstract

Dialogue is an indispensable attribute of intertextuality, and it is also the target of contemporary Vietnamese novels. Through studying the works of some typical authors of contemporary Vietnamese historical novels (Nguyen Xuan Khanh, Nguyen Mong Giac, Hoang Quoc Hai, Luu Son Minh, Nguyen Huu Nam,...), we realise that no matter which trend of historical fiction one chooses, each writer has different ways to create a new vitality for history, find the issue of history and put history always parallel and attached to the present. Contemporary Vietnamese historical novels written on any topic have two dialogues in them; the first dialogue is with contemporary life and the second dialogue is with history itself. Dialogue paved the way for intertextuality and produced important innovations in the relationship between history and literature. The process of intertextual connection through dialogue in historical fiction simultaneously affirms the reader's co-creation role in deciphering pretexts woven into the text.