tóm tắt la ta vấn đề người trí thức trong tiểu thuyết việt nam từ sau 1975

Research on intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975 is a study on the discoveries and contributions of writers in presenting the issues of Vietnamese intelligentsia in the post-war

VINH UNIVERSITY

HO THI PHUONG MAI

THE ISSUE OF INTELLECTUALS IN

This dissertation was completed at Vinh University

PREAMBLE 1 Reason for choosing the topic

1.1 Intellectuals play an important position in social life and an intimate connection to the existence and development of a nation Consequently, in many different stages, intellectuals have become great aesthetic objects of art, especially literature Understanding the issue of intellectuals not only helps researchers acknowledge more clearly many issues of literary history and literary theory, but also the problems of the economic, cultural, and social life of a country at certain stages

1.2 With the characteristic of giving expression on life and human being through the perspective with wealth in prose and dialogue nature, and from the perspective of privacy, the novel has outstanding strengths in performing imageries, themes, and issues of intellectuals Although there have been many literary works in different genres stating about intellectuals, the most obvious achievement is the novel This is also one of the reasons motivating the author of the dissertation to choose for researching on the issue of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975

1.3 Hitherto, there have been many researching projects on intellectuals in modern Vietnamese novels, however the systematic and large-scale surveys regarding this object have still no less limitation due to many objective and subjective reasons Research on intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975 is a study on the discoveries and contributions of writers in presenting the issues of Vietnamese intelligentsia in the post-war and renovation periods, in order to accurately identify their viewpoints, visions, and bravery in facing many issues of art, human being, and society Thanks to this subject survey as well, researchers could get more foundations to accurately judge the ideological and aesthetic stature of an entire literature background

2 Research object and scope of survey materials

2.1 Research objects

As the topic title identified, the researched object of the dissertation is The issue

of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975

2.2 Scope of survey materials

The main survey material of the dissertation is typical novels written about intellectuals in Vietnamese literature since 1975

3 Research purpose and mission

3.1 Research purpose

The dissertation aims to clarify the writers' awareness of the object that they

choose to express in all its complexity, therein there has the description on the life of

intelligentsia by the specific means of literature and the proposal of appropriate ways of acknowledgement and behavior towards this social class According to that orientation, although the understanding on characteristics of intellectual characters or the intellectual imagery in novels is determined to be an important content of the dissertation, the final goal of this work is to highlight the writers' concerns about the development path of the entire Vietnamese society in the new era, coming from contemplating the lives and fate of intellectuals

- Analyze and evaluate specific methods of expressing the imagery of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975 according to the identified research purposes

4 Research Methods

The dissertation uses a combination of the following main research methods: - Structural - systematic method: This method is used to highlight the integrity of the issue of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975 and to ensure that the work has a reasonable and multi-layered layout – structure

- Typological method: This is an important method that helps researchers identify the essential aspects of the research object: intellectuals are as a characteristic type of imagery and novels are as a genre with its unique advantages in presenting and expressing the opinion of acknowledgements and assessments on intellectuals of the writer

- Compare and contrast method: This method helps researchers identify and distinguish intellectuals from other aesthetic objects and do concurrently also recognize the similarities and differences of the penmen who jointly write about intellectuals

- Historical research method: This method helps the dissertation author could perceive the development of the topic on intellectuals in Vietnamese literature through different stages, explaining why intellectuals became the particularly important topic in Vietnamese novels after 1975

- Interdisciplinary research method: Usage of information from fields such as sociology, cultural studies, history, etc will help researchers have a general view and knowledge foundation to understand and comprehend more clearly the issues related to the topic

- Analysis - synthesis method: This method allows the author to clarify the diversity of novels written about intellectuals in Vietnamese literature after 1975, and to discover the artistry of specific composes and to focus on exploring and expressing issues about intellectuals, causing them to constantly concern and ponder on their life journey

5 Contribution of the dissertation

The dissertation surveys and analyzes Vietnamese novels after 1975 with a systematic view, delving to find out the issues that are both secular and relevancy among intelligentsia that writers pose in them, those that require penman ought to have talent to discover and express, and ought to have brave and sense of responsibility to speak up

Theoretically, the dissertation tries to clarify the issue: that how the perceptions

and thoughts of the writers about intellectuals have dominated to the way of expression on the theme of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975

In terms of practice, the dissertation contributes to comprehending the movement towards of the intellectualization of a part of Vietnamese novels after 1975, in which intellectuals appear to be capacity as of both an aesthetic object and a creative subject

6 Structure of the dissertation

In addition to the Introduction, Conclusion, and References, the main content of

the dissertation is enlarged in four chapters:

Chapter 1: Overview of the research issue and theoretical basis of the topic Chapter 2: The conception about intellectuals in modern Vietnamese novels Chapter 3: The issue of intellectuals seen from the characteristics of this type of

character in Vietnamese novels after 1975

Chapter 4: The issue of intellectuals seen from the ways representing this type

of character in Vietnamese novels after 1975

Chapter 1 OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH ISSUE AND THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE THESIS 1.1 Overview of research issue

1.1.1 General Studies on Intellectual

1.1.1.1 Intellectual as a personality model

Currently, although the debate about intellectuals is not yet settled, intellectuals are always considered a special personality model in society in general Formerly, when mentioning intellectuals, everyone still considered education to be the first and most important criterion At present, when the education level in society has increased, everyone does not pay too much attention to this criterion anymore In other words, apart from education, whether intellectuals are recognized or not, and where position he/she has will depend greatly on his/her dignity and how he/she can give expression to his social responsibility

1.1.1.2 Intellectual with social life

People usually tend to think that an intellectual is a person who has extensive knowledge in one or more fields which is better than the general understanding of society at a certain period From the collision with reality, intellectuals are aware of their role in social life In this relationship, intellectuals have the ability to impact social life or be impacted aback

Through different explanation ways, many writings have convincingly demonstrated the role of intellectuals in social life, in which social criticism is considered a specific manifestation It seems that in any period, intellectuals are not easily satisfied with what they have, they still constantly react and protest Thus, intellectuals have a significant role in promoting the movement and change of social life in an increasingly progressive and positive direction

1.1.1.3 The fate of intellectuals

The story on the fate of intellectuals is not easy to mention as the fate of many other classes in society The fate with full of ups and downs of intellectuals is rarely analyzed thoroughly, because if exploring to the end of this issue, researchers easily get risk with the mixed reviews, even though they are proposed based on actual surveys Learning writings and works discussing on intellectuals, we recognized the similarities in the conception of scholars who think that intellectuals often have tragic fates and face to many difficulties when they want to express their own mindset and ideology on the issues of lives

1.1.2 Studies on intellectuals in Vietnamese novels since 1975

1.1.2.1 Research on the special interest of the literators to the topic on intellectuals

Intellectuals have become a major topic in literature after 1975 Although this was not the first time it was presented, but in the new social circumstance, the topic of intellectuals exerted a strong attraction not only to the authors but also for those who research on literature Therefore, there have been many articles discussing the development of this topic Overall, the published writings and works primarily appoint certain specific elements in the literary work only that is with few systematic research works Furthermore, some literary works that are considered successful on the topic of intellectuals have not yet received much attention for understanding from many people Herein there is certainly a mentality to avoid issues that are considered as sensitive in those literary works

1.1.2.2 Research the characteristics of intellectual characters shown in the

novels

Characteristics of intellectual characters are discussed in a number of general research works and articles on intellectual characters in Vietnamese novels after 1975 However, most of the articles only stop at mentioning the characteristics of intellectuals in a literary work or a group of literary works by the same author This is also an opportunity for others who have the same interest in this object to continue research

From existing research, we perceive that, when studying on intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975, in addition to learning about intellectuals who are with inherent conflicts, with a spirit of commitment, with the process of reflection, and with all their inadequacies and pusillanimity, needs to pay more attention to the characteristics on lifestyle and status, on conception and ideology, and on actions and behaviors of intellectuals

1.1.2.3 Research on the art of representing intellectuals in novels

All in all, most art research projects show that intellectuals are all interested in factors such as artistic language, the way to describe characters' appearances, the ability to analyze character psychology, the art space and time Authors studying on the intellectual characters in Vietnamese novels after 1975 have mentioned many basic characteristics in the art of expressing this special aesthetic imagery, including the construction of ideological characters taking on the role of making speeches of theses on intellectuals; the deployment of theses by using hypothetical situations; the emplacement of the intellectual character at the center of social relationships (amongst the populous world of characters, amongst the encirclement of events, and amongst

ideological dialogues), etc When research is extended to many authors and works of contemporary novel on intellectuals, we realized that we should pay attention to in-depth analysis of some other methods of expression such as emphasizing ideological dialogues, concerning in expressing the character's reflection process, generalizing two

sides of life, etc

1.2 Theoretical basis of the topic

1.2.1 The conception of intellectuals

In the Oxford dictionary, "Trí thức" is "intellectual" (adj - adjective) indicating "the ability to work with the mind" When combined with a noun, it will be a noun meaning "Người trí thức": intellectual people (noun-noun), that is to say, "a person has ability to work by his/her mind" And this conception also appears in many countries According to Vu Trong Lam, "The classicists of Marxism-Leninism all admitted intellectuals as an intermediate social class which closely linked to other classes, often serving for the ruling class and having basic characteristics of which being educated and constantly working intellectually that is an indispensable force in the struggle for national liberation”

As a society develops increasingly, the definition of intellectuals also undergoes certain changes It is time to recognize intellectuals with true intellectual qualities, in which "The characteristic which distinguishes them from other social classes is that they have a certain level of education and are always self-aware of their mission towards the entire community ( ) and have a committed attitude to complete their mission, bringing a bright future to the community" Those must be "individuals with a critical spirit"

Resolution No 27-NQ/TW of the (10th) Central Committee of Communist Party

of Vietnam on Building a team of intellectuals in the period of promoting

industrialization and modernization of the country has clearly stated: "Intellectuals are

mental workers who have a high education level on a certain professional field, have the ability to think independently and creatively, spread and enrich knowledge, and create valuable spiritual and material products to society"

To internalize the above progressive conceptions, the author of the dissertation believes that intellectual is not only simply a person with knowledge, but also ought to have independence of ideology, always worries about himself/herself and his/her life, always desire and strive to engage, involve in the life to promote positive social development for creating new and better values, etc

1.2.2 The compatibility between the theme of intellectuals and the genre nature of the novel

The compatibility between the theme of intellectuals and the novel is shown first of all in the characteristics of intellectuals Intellectuals have rich and complex backgrounds, occupations, ideology, and destinies They are even the class is far-reaching on all aspects of life, involved in most areas of lives With their characteristics and mission, intellectuals constantly ponder on life and times And there is no coincidence as this is also one of the basic characteristics of the novel genre The novel describes the character's thoughts about the world, about human life and thoroughly analyzes sentimental developments, circumstantially presents the character's biography, and describes interpersonal relations in detail, etc Intellectuals are

inherently complex, those are "fluctuating" people who always torment and concern endlessly about basic survival issues Therefore, it is very easy to find the compatibility between the novel genre and the image as well as the theme of intellectuals is at the complexity In addition, the novel's dialogic nature is very suitable for the independence of thought and the critical/dialogue spirit of intellectuals Besides, the novel also has heavy autobiographical elements, which is also a very suitable feature for the expression on the theme of intellectuals

1.2.3 Intellectual topics in Vietnamese literature

To identify a topic of intellectuals, what criteria should researchers and critics rely on? The first criterion is the author, the work needs to express the imagery of an intellectual character So, how is considered an intellectual character? The first type of character is built by the writer according to "standards" which have typical intellectual qualities and are accepted by many people as well as most researchers The type of character "so-called intellectual" may have standard deviant personality traits but according to the author's own opinion, he/she is still an intellectual It is also possible for the writer to call that character an intellectual just because it belongs to the popular conception of society, not necessarily because the writer consents The second criterion is that the writer, work, and character must express the issues of/about intellectuals Of which, there is special attention to life, ideology, conceptions, concerns and thoughts about life, people and themselves, etc of intellectuals This helps us identify the works with the appearance of intellectual characters maybe not surely belong to the theme of intellectuals if those works do not focus on expressing relevant intimate issues in their lives The third criterion, the writer must not only be a describer but also must agree and stand on the side of the intellectuals, whether he/she builds a "positive", "antagonistic" or "multifaceted" intellectual character

The above criteria have confirmed that the theme of intellectuals is truly present in modern Vietnamese literary life Literary works about intellectuals appeared even before 1945 and continued to be developed strongly in literature in the period after 1975 until now With a significant number of works written about intellectuals, it can be affirmed that intellectuals are not only a topic but also a major theme of Vietnamese literature, especially under the novel genre after 1975 With the writers writing on the topic of intellectuals after 1975, on the one hand, they comprehended useful suggestions from their predecessors, and on the other hand, they have been changes in their view of intellectuals, with higher requirements and stronger desire for the mission of intellectuals

Chapter 2 THE CONCEPTION ON INTELLECTUALS

IN MODERN VIETNAMESE NOVELS 2.1 The conception on intellectuals in Vietnamese novels before 1975

2.1.1 The conception on intellectuals in Vietnamese novels before 1945

To understand the conception of modern intellectuals in novels before the August Revolution of 1945, first of all, we have to find the compositions of penmen from the Tu Luc Van Doan group Some novels by leading penmen of Tu Luc Van Doan group such

as Doan Tuyet and Lanh lung by Nhat Linh, Nua chung xuan by Khai Hung which have

built intellectual characters with modern ideology Characters named Dung, Loan (in

Doan tuyet work), Nhung (in Lanh lung work), Mai and Loc (in Nua chung xuan work)

etc all want to change what outdated and constrained human freedom However, the mentioned future of intellectual characters in the novels composed by Tu Luc Van Doan penmen is not materialized, in other words, it is distant and vague

Nam Cao, a typical representative of realistic literature before 1945, created a truly sharp image of intellectuals Nam Cao created a series of portraits of intellectuals in the early Twentieth century that are very close to the image of intellectuals today Every true intellectual also has beautiful aspirations, does also want to contribute and involve effectively in social life Nam Cao's intellectuals have a very strong self-awareness process, they often look very deeply into their minds and souls, self-demanding to live a worthy life For them, "living is meanly feeling and thinking Living is also action, but the action is only a side part because if and only if having feelings and thoughts, they shall generate to action The essential nature of life is feeling and thought The stronger and more magical the feeling is going along with the more abundant, deeper and more clear-sighted the thought is, the higher and higher living is The uneducated as well as the savage human beings who live shallowly, lowly and crudely rather than the educated and civilized human races Not only that, for Nam Cao, when at the bottom of a deadlock, intellectuals cannot avoid times of "weakness" and "pusillanimity", even though it is painful to realize that their life can be "molded up" , "rusted", and "rotted", and even if the habit of all human beings is to "fear changes", they must also be willing to change Because of "living is meanly to change", and because people should only "enjoy what they deserve" The knowledge, wisdom, self-respect, constant reflection, torment, and desire to contribute noble values are the conceptions of Nam Cao about intellectuals

2.1.2 The conception of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels from 1945 to 1975

After 1945, Vietnamese revolutionary literature transformed itself to carry out the country's focal task of fighting French colonialism and American imperialism Topics about the Revolution, the Country, the soldiers, the masses, and the connection between workers - farmers - soldiers are given priority to present The country's context at that time was not yet suitable for expressing personal, private issues, or not yet priority to solve concerns in everyday life Intellectuals also put aside their dreams and plans in order to immerse themselves in the resistance In other words, intellectuals in literature from 1945 to 1975 do not have many differences from other character images The personal qualities and personalities of intellectuals are not outstanding

It is also necessary to recognize that the conception of intellectuals is also dominated by the awareness of the role, position and importance of intellectuals in social life Intellectuals were once considered sentimental and weak human beings, petty bourgeoises, selfish and lazy human beings This conception comes from the fact that, due to the requirements of the times, people emphasize the role of the masses of workers, farmers and soldiers Fortunately, although this is late, the opinions expressed about intellectuals became fairer and fairer afterwards And whether they like it or not, other sectors of society are gradually recognizing the contribution of intellectuals in social life

2.1.3 Some general assessments

In Vietnamese novels before 1975, the conception of intellectuals was rarely

expressed through direct statements, whether in the words of the character or the storytellers but was revealed implicitly through actions and the reflections of characters who can be considered intellectuals like writers, artists, teachers, and social activists No matter how it is expressed, this conception is still quite limited in emphasizing the specific work of intellectuals rather than their thinking outside the framework that is capable of awakening society Therefore, writers have not yet identified clear criteria to distinguish in the world of characters who are intellectuals and who are not The conception of intellectuals in the novels of the period 1945 - 1975 has not surpassed previous existing conceptions, expressed in the literary works of Nhat Linh, Khai Hung, Hoang Dao and Nam Cao, etc Intellectual characters like the painter named Tu, expressed

in Nguyen Dinh Thi' s epic novel titled Vo bo, have not yet shown the writer's necessary cognitive change on this issue Or some intellectual characters in the work titled Song mai

voi thu do composed by Nguyen Huy Tuong are same issue Even, the conception of

intellectuals in novels of this period brings a compromise with the popular conception and believed that intellectuals are a group that often "fluctuates in ideology" and needs to be reformed in terms of perception to participate more effectively (like workers, farmers, and soldiers) in the nation's great resistance wars Intellectual characters are depicted in

Nguyen Minh Chau's literary work titled Dau chan nguoi linh (such as the political commissar - Kinh,) and in Le Phuong’s literary work titled Thung lung Co Tan and some

other soldier characters who started off to fight while they were in the middle of studying at university There are really no concerns expressing truly intellectual nature They only revealed enough of their "educated" characteristics at a very modest level, moreover it does not hinder the common awareness or participation manner in popular action of all Vietnamese citizens at that time

Obviously, in comparison to the intellectual characters of world literature that

are depicted in massive novels such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Resurrection by Lev Tolstoy, Jean Cristov by Romain Roland, and The Road to Calvary by Alexi

Tolstoy, etc., the intellectual characters in Vietnamese novels have almost denied themselves on basic values that make up the unique faces of their world This really puts pressure on novel writing activities after 1975 on intellectual topics

2.2 The premises leading to changes in the concept of intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975

2.2.1 Socio-political premise

After the country's unification, the social life changed to a major turning point At present, everyone can return to their daily lives and can contribute to society according to their own abilities At this time, intellectuals have the opportunity to participate in social activities, are involved to give opinions, and give advice on life issues The typical critical voice of intellectuals is heard more and more, even though sometimes there are still people who look suspicious This is the first time the Central Committee of Communist Party of Vietnam issued a Resolution on intellectuals And this resolution is evaluated to be "comprehensively mentioned from the role and concept of intellectuals to the assessment of the current status of the intellectual team and the work of building the intellectual team of the Party and State during the period of renovation (1975) to present”

In today's context, when digital platforms have been developing strongly, people

value intelligence, intellectuals, and educated people more The concept of power

which seemingly fixed has been reconsidered The American futurist, Alvin Toffler

deeply analyzed, in his famous book titled The Rise and Fall of Power, regarding the issue of the power of knowledge When intellectuals receive more attention in society,

they become an aesthetic object for writers, helping writers reconnect the thread of topics that were interrupted due to the specificity of wartime literature

New ideas about intellectuals began to be popularized and discussed, with the appearance of forums and research projects (including research projects on the contributions of Confucian scholars in building the feudal state of Vietnam) According to these debates, people have talked a lot about the "commitment" and "criticism" of intellectuals – the activities that demonstrate "intellectual qualities" in the clearest and most prominent way Gradually, the prejudices associated with intellectuals such as "fluctuating nature" and "petty bourgeois" have been rejudged

2.2.2 Cultural and literary premise

2.2.2.1 Translated literature with novels written about intellectuals

Since the mid-twentieth century, many literary works about intellectuals from a number of foreign literatures have been translated and published in Vietnam These works have had a positive impact on Vietnamese writers who are interested in the topic of intellectuals, contributing to changes in the conception and the writing style about intellectuals Lu Xun - a modern Chinese writer - wrote about intellectuals very early Facing the stormy era in China at that time, Lu Xun's intellectual characters brought images of society at the transition of time When Chekhov's literary works were systematically translated into Vietnamese, this great Russian writer became one of the most admired authors by Vietnamese readers In his works, Chekhov created fully

obsessive intellectual characters In 1961, the famous work titled Gadfly by Ethel Lilian

Voynich (1864 - 1960) was translated into Vietnamese Arthur, the young man nicknamed "Gadfly", became a symbol for the intelligentsia It is not natural that the author named the title of the work as the main character's alias because it seems that the author wants to build a typical character and create a deep impression of the role or the meaning regarding the existence of an intellectual as well It must be "a troublesome and uncompromising critic who denounces defects and evils – are both real and imagined"

After 1975, especially in the 1980s, many foreign novels written about intellectuals were translated and printed in Vietnam, bringing a new perspective on intellectuals First

of all, it is necessary to mention Soviet novels with literary works such as Doctor Zhivago by Bois Pasternak, Half-Life in Retrospect by Trifomov, Lunar Eclipse by Tendriakov,

How Strange Is This Life, Rushing into the Storm, The painting by Granin, The Shore, The Choice by Bodarev, And a day longer than a century, the place of the skull by Aitmatov, Siberia on fire by Rasputin, Salt of the Earth by Markov, Law of Eternity by Dumbatze, Restlessness by Kron, etc The fate of intellectuals seen through the thorny eyes of Russian

writers and artists has brought to the public a profound understanding of the human condition in general and intellectuals in particular

It can be said that the world's master novelists have opened a new path, bringing literature very close to life Through translated literary works, the image of intellectuals in the works that they build is both representative, typical and universal Therefore, it can cross national borders and get very close to world readers Thanks to that strong

spread, the modern Vietnamese writers who are interested in intellectuals have received important suggestions The influence of the translated literature section on Vietnamese novels from 1975 downwards was very positive

2.2.2.2 Lessons learned from novels in previous literary periods written about intellectuals

Post-1975 novels about intellectuals have been inherited the existing achievements of literature written on this topic in previous periods, developing into the keynote topic of literature The successes and "failures" of literature on previous intellectual topics are all valuable experiences for novelists after 1975 The first success of Vietnamese literature before 1975 is mentioned as there were periods when intellectual topics became prominent topics, creating the reputation of many penmen Secondly, there have been literary works that successfully built intellectual characters to become models of intellectuals of the era Thirdly, some authors have paid attention to the basic issues of intellectuals, thereby offering new conceptions about intellectuals At the same time, pay attention to portraying the psychological flow and building diverse forms of dialogue

The limitation of Vietnamese literature before 1975 is shown in the fact that writers were dominated by nature of class and viewing of class, turning characters into mouthpieces for the writer's class ideological stance Therefore, the image of an intellectual is built with a prejudice

Inheriting the experience and overcoming the limitations of their predecessors, the penmen after 1975 have constantly made efforts, research, and experiments in order to create new perspectives and expressing ways on intellectuals After 1975, with bold creativity, writers created an explosion of topics with many remarkable achievements

2.2.3 The self-examination of writers and intellectuals

Up to now, many generations of writers have appeared one after another in literary life; there are some penmen grew up before the August Revolution; there are some ones went through two resistance wars against the French colonialists and American imperialists; there are other ones who just started writing in the period before and after 1975, etc Although the time of writing is different, the common point amongst the writers is that when they step back in time, their view of intellectuals, about the movement of social life becomes clearer and clearer There are writers who have previously written about intellectuals, and when writing, they must have thought a lot However, after reading these works again, they still couldn't stop wondering The concerns about the topic, about intellectuals in relation to life still makes them feel pain unceasingly And when given the opportunity, they must continue to write about their world Thanks to that, many things that were hidden for some reason are now visible through their writing pages They may have written about many topics and many different types of characters, but when they have a chance to look back, those writers find themselves in debt to their own world This is the reason why novelists seek the topic of intellectuals in the new era

2.3 New points in the viewing way about intellectuals in Vietnamese novels after 1975

2.3.1 Do not equate intellectuals to be educated people

Overall, writers increasingly tend to no longer equate intellectuals to be the

educated people, who do purely pen and ink work, even though their characters of course have to work in a profession related to education and books In fact, in many novels, many characters are still considered intellectuals even though the work they are doing has nothing related to the "noble professions" that society honors and respects One of the first representatives after 1975 can be mentioned as writer Nguyen Khai Nguyen Khai makes a very clear distinction between the concepts of intellectuals and officials

Nguyen Xuan Khanh's novels have overcome the conception that intellectuals

are only educated people In the work titled Mien hoang tuong, Nguyen Xuan Khanh

does not emphasize the "educatedness" of the characters The writer only focuses on showing the characters of Tu and his friends who are "losing in life, thrown to the sidelines by society", but in reality, "in their inmost being, Tu and his friends always desire to reach beautiful things, always looking for goodness and wishing for personal freedom"

The conception that intellectuals are not necessarily educated person or intellectually work has shown the changes in Vietnamese literature after 1975 However, that does not mean denying education and literacy After all, education should still be an important foundation from which intellectuals have a basis to build and reveal their own unique qualities

2.3.2 Pay attention to emphasizing the ideological independence of intellectual characters

Currently, Vietnamese novelists consider the independence on ideology as one of the most important criteria to identify whether they are intellectuals or not Accordingly, the novels pay great attention to creating "ideological forums" for intellectual characters to express themselves That forum can be an imaginary forum created by them to express their inner frustrations, or it can be real debates between people with opposing views It is not surprising that novelists pay great attention to creating intellectual characters who are literators With the characteristics of literators, their characters are often immersed in endless reflections about life

Nguyen Xuan Khanh is one of the novelists who pursues the conception that intellectuals need to have independence on thought For a long and early time, Nguyen Xuan Khanh wondered about the presence and role of intellectuals in society The writer is more and more interested in the qualities of intellectuals The main character

of the work titled Mien hoang tuong is not an intellectual, but he always thinks about

intellectuals and always has the concerns of an intellectual Is this also the silhouette of the author? Whether building the character accidentally or intentionally, but till the

end, Tu's problem is still the problem of an intellectual In the work titled Gap go cuoi

nam, Nguyen Khai let his characters frankly express their views and thoughts on the

country's post-war problems Nguyen Khai wishes through the character's statements to affirm his desire to be an intellectual with free thoughts, to be able to make useful contributions to society The writer chose the time of transition between the old and new year as a fulcrum for proposing a free space for intellectuals

Related to the above point, intellectuals, according to the conception of Vietnamese novelists after 1975, are people who refuse to compromise with reality, always promoting and believing in the new value table which they propose They may

fail but their uncompromising spirit is always affirmed