Nhân vật trẻ em trong văn xuôi thiếu nhi việt nam (TT)

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION NGUYEN THI THANH HUONG CHILDREN CHARACTER IN VIETNAMESE CHILDREN PROSE Major: Vietnamese Literature Code : 62.22.01.21 SUMMARY DOCTORATE DISSERTATION ON PHILOLOGY hA nOi – 2016 The dissertation has been completed in Hanoi National University of Education Supervisor: Associate Professor.Doctor La Thi Bac Ly Associate Professor Nguyen Van Long Examiner 1: Associate Professor.Doctor.Bien Minh Dien Vinh University Examiner 2: Associate Professor.Doctor Luu Khanh Tho Institute of Literature Examiner 3: Associate Professor.Doctor Hoa Dieu Thuy Hong Duc University The thesis will be defended against the Board of examiners at the University level Venue: Hanoi National University of Education On 2016 The thesis can be found at: - National Library of Vietnam - Hanoi National University of Education Library LIST OF THE THESIS-RELATED DISCLOSED AUTHOR’S WORKS Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2012), “Personnality education for children through the character Pippi in Astrid Lindgren‟s Pippi Longstocking”, Proceedings 17, Ochanomizu University, pp.125-128 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2012-2013), Type the characters in the Fairy tale, Scientific topics of University , Code: SPHN-12-193 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2013), “Folk riddles with children preschools education”, Journal of science, Hanoi National University of Education, No58, pp.82-88 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2013), “The narrator in the Give me a ticket back to Childhood of Nguyen Nhat Anh”, The Journal of Literature and Art Critique theory, No10, pp.64-68 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2015), “Children‟s character in the VietNam story before 1945”, Journal of science, Hanoi National University of Education, No60, pp.63-67 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2015), “The attraction of the character Pippi in story “Pippi Longstocking” of Astrid Lindgren”, Culture and art magazine, No370, pp.104-107 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2015), “Some characteristics of children‟s autobiography in the twentieth century VietNam”, The Journal of Literature and Art Critique theory, No33, pp 64-69 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2015), “Children‟s character in the VietNam story 1945 - 1975”, The Journal of Literature and Art Critique theory, No40, pp.38-48 Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong (2016), “Children's Literature Definition”, Culture and art magazine, No385, pp.91-93 INTRODUCTION Reasons for Thesis’ Theme 1.1 Children Literature is an important part of a literature Many studies showed that Children Literature have noticeable effects on children personality development and is important with children in early childhood and childhood periods 1.2 Vietnamese Children Prose, from its beginning, reflected basic features in children lives throughout historical periods In addition, along with innovations of Vietnamese Prose, Vietnamese Children Prose provides remarkable innovations in development periods These innovations show in world characters 1.3 In modern life there are numberless barriers of human intercommunications, especially, between younger and older generations Children in modern period are different with their parents in changes in psychology and physiology Moreover, there is private changeable world in each child Children is not minimized adults Studying children character in Vietnamese Children Prose is way to young children world to understand and have suitable behaviors with future citizens of the country Objects and study’s scope 2.1 Objects Children character in Vietnamese children prose, from 1945 to 1975 and after 1975, periods is object of the thesis 2.2 Study’s scope The scope of study includes writing prose for children Because Children Notes subtype is not appreciated and have not many achievements, we focused on children characters in Vietnamese Children story Because of many writings, we only chose novels, short stories and autobiography for children from 1945 to 1975, especially some typical and innovative works General goals and detail goals 3.1 General goals To determine, analyse image of children character and artistic modes expressing characters thought development periods of children literature, structuring total picture of children literature with various opinions about children, affirming specific aesthetic values of children literature 3.2 Detail goals 3.2.1 To develop theoretical bases of the thesis, determining concepts such as children literature, children, children character, children character systematics in literature 3.2.2 To study the development of Vietnamese Children Literature and development periods of children character in that development 3.2.3 To analyse some types of children characters in story for children from 1945 to 1975 3.2.4 To analyse some types of children characters in story for children from 1945 to 1975 Methodology - Typological Method - Comparative Method - Work Analysis by Genre Specific Method - History Literature Method - Interdisciplinary Method New contributions of the thesis Theoretically, the thesis provides overview picture about children character in Vietnamese Children Prose, clarifying theoretical issues which have effects on literature along periods In terms of history literature, the thesis studies, summarizes a look of children character in Vietnamese Literature process, reflecting movements and basic rules in Vietnamese Literature Practically, by determining structural system of children character in Vietnamese Children Literature development, the thesis provides typical children character which creates character images associated with real life, orienting children personality in innovation period Also, the thesis produces an useful reference for studying, teaching children literature in universities and junior colleges in Vietnam The thesis’s outline Along with Introduction and Conclusions parts, the thesis includes chapters: Chapter gives Overview of Studying Issue, Chapter named Children Character in Vietnamese Children Story from 1945 to 1975, and Chapter entitled Children Character in Vietnamese Children Story from 1975 to the Present CONTENTS CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF STUDYING ISSUE 1.1 CHILDREN LITERATURE AND CHILDREN CHARACTER 1.1.1 Children Literature Children Literature includes works about children and for children, written by adults or children with children eye, having educational contents for sake of children soul and personality 1.1.2 Basic characteristics of Children Literature Children Literature is phenomenon appears later in literature history Educational value is consider to be important in Children Literature Children, special individuals with many different with adults, are subject which reflect as well as receive of Children Literature Therefore, works for children are special about and for special subjects Relationship between readers and writers is not balanced Children Literature always break adult norms to get in children world 1.1.3 Development and movements of Vietnamese story for children Before 1945, although there are writings for children of Tu Luc Literature Association and Nam Cao, Nguyen Hong, Nguyen Cong Hoan, To Hoai, these writings could not create children – writing movement From 1945 to 1975, after August Revolution, children literature was developed with much of stories, making important part in children literature After 1975, there were many approaching innovations in children literature with many authors such as Pham Ho, Vo Quang, To Hoai, Nguyen Quynh, Phung Quan, Nguyen Nhat Anh and valuable works At present, there is only Nguyen Nhat Anh regarded an author with regular writings for children 1.1.4 Concept about “Children” In many aspects, children is not minimized adult In terms of age, in Vietnam, children are people aged from to 16 years old Children have individual psychological and physiological characteristics, and they are a specific historical social category, a complex category 1.1.5 Children character 1.1.5.1.Character definition: Children characters are children created in works for children Children reflect writers‟ view about children, the writers generalize nature, destiny of children in history, society and culture life Also, children characters show life rules and children in life 1.1.5.2 Children systematics M.Nikolajeva gave types of children characters on basis of representation, of character types of Northrop Frye, literature reviewer and theorist in 20th century, including: The Mythic Hero, The Romantic Hero, High Mimetic Characters, such as Allegorical and Emblematic Characters as well as Character as Ideological Vehicles, Low Mimetic Characters, Ironic Characters, includes Detachment and Alienation as well as Metafictive Characters When applying the M.Nikolajeva‟s systematics in Vietnamese story for children, we see the systematics is suitable in Vietnam However, in terms of history, culture, society, there are specific enviromnents of each people, there are differences in systematics of Vietnam Therefore, we not apply inflexibly the M.Nikolajeva‟s systematics in Vietnamese story for children, this systematics plays fulcrum for our systematics in each period of Vietnamese Children Literature 1.2 OVERVIEW OF RELATING STUDIES 1.2.1 Studies about children character in international stories for children A book of Maria Nicolajeva, The Rhetoric of Character in Children's Literature, with two sections and 13 chapters, studies ontological and epistemological aspects of characters in stories for children, the book showed basic differences beetween character development in story for children and in general stories Theoretically, the above book provided an overview about characters in children literature This study defined that characters in children literature, in many aspects, were designed differently with in general literature 1.2.2 Studies about children character in Vietnamese story for children Van Thanh is first author in studying children literature Van Thanh‟s studies gave an overview about Vietnamese Children Literature as well as movements of stories for children after August Revolution to 1975 La Thi Bac Ly with doctoral thesis named Stories for Children after 1975, clarified children literature picture in period after 1975 The two above authors showed successes and innovations in terms of contents as well as forms of stories for children from its beginnings There were also some books such as Vietnamese Children Literature of Tran Duc Ngon and Duong Thu Huong (1998), Children Literature of La Thi Bac Ly (2007), Children Literature Prosody of Bui Thanh Truyen et al (2007) However, there were not so much studies like above CHAPTER CHILDREN CHARACTER IN VIETNAMESE CHILDREN STORY FROM 1945 TO 1975 2.1 ELEMENTS AFFECTING CHILDREN CHARACTER DESIGN 2.1.1 Social context Two wars in Vietnam, during 30 years, from 1945 to 1975, have strong and comprehensive effects on material and spirit life of the people in general, of literature children in particular, creating specific characteristics of literature in war This condition affected development of children types in children literature from 1945 to 1975 2.1.2 Children Literature context Along with social historical changes, children literature developed with turning points 2.1.3 Children character in stories before August Revolution – premise for creating children character in stories for children from 1945 to 1975 2.1.3.1 Children character – humble conditions 2.1.3.2 Children character – brightly and dreamy souls 2.1.4 Opinions of writers about children from 1945 to 1975 Children were showed in children literature pages as hope of the country, “help children love motherland, compatriots, labor as well as follow the rules, keep hygiene, go to school, etc.” (Uncle Ho) 2.2 FACE OF CHILDREN CHARACTER FROM 1945 TO 1975 2.2.1 Younger soldiers in the war Younger solider is specific character only in literature during the war like Vietnamese literature The development of this kind of character derived from demands of history when the war happened This model was ideological orientation of children literature at that period, it also reflected a fact, a spiritual reality – heroes, a typical example for children at that time As children, younger solider was different from children in peacetime, they are solider or minimized adult In writings after 1954, image of younger solider had changes in way of express, in which while continuing to describe brave actions, writers brought children approach children, such as character Lam in Keeping Borrowed Gun of Van An, Toan character in A Childe by Riverside of Lai Vu – Vu Cao, Bay character in Sinking Boat of Bui Duc Ai Because writers have concentrated on revolutionary, heroic actions of children character, they have not paid attentions to emotional and psychological aspects in designing characters There were only some attentions in one-way psychological status without conflicts Psychological features of children were only expressed in some single sentences Father Homeland and Dawn of Vo Quang are works marked clear changes in way of expressing younger solider character from oneway, monotone to complex, lively Finally, in this period, developing younger soldiers as heroic statue is suitable with demands of reality and children psychological characteristics 2.2.2 Younger Citizen in Daily Life The younger citizen in daily life was born as natural character in terms of history When the North was free, orienting to Socialist, one of important of children letter and art is to educate children in learning and active working Oriented works for children focused on “focus of idea and feeling education for children is loving labor, loving learning for sake of socialist and unified motherland” In laboring, children would “small plan”, developing innovative countryside, such as three characters named Thieu, Tu and Lia characters, in Close Relation Group of Tran Thanh Dich author, created laboring group, supporting adults in agriculture, in trapping mice, in catching birds; characters Mau, Hoi, Man, Sung in New Member of Cooperative of To Hoai author, have done together in trapping birds, making puppet in field, catching mice for sake of crop in holiday In learning, there were many writings such as Lessons about Life and Friendship, Lovely School of Le Khac Hoan author, The First Sunbeam of Le Phuong Lien, The First Year of Minh Giang, The Boy Hating Mathematics of Hai Ho To educate children thought ideal models about moral qualities, responsibilities of citizen in Socialist However, because of too much importance on educational goals, children character in these writings become model of minimized adult citizen without foolishness, playfulness and spontaneousness 2.2.3 Character as mirror In the war and building the country, the most important of children literature is to educate children love with their country, people pride, striving in labor, learning, so the writers created type of imaginary children characters such as country-saving heroes, examplary citizen, also they made children character as mirror rooted from real children in history and life There were two expressing forms of character as mirror in this period, children character as historical mirror (for example, Tran Quoc Toan in The Flag with Six Golden Script of Nguyen Huy Tuong, Ban A Ton in Da River story, etc.) and children character as life mirror (for example, Kim Dong in Kim Dong of To Hoai, Nguyen Ngoc Ky in I Go to the School of Nguyen Ngoc Ky, Hoa Xuan Tu in Hoa Xuan Tu of Quang Huy, etc.) The children character as historical mirror was not described in real view, he/she was created in some historical gap Therefore, despite of being children, he/she was described as hero different from normal children This feature is the same with type of younger hero character, however, this kind of character is usually fictitious, but character as historical mirror is usually real people in history This type of character is notable feature in character description of historical story after 1975 Like “adult” literature, children literature, in this period, was controlled by historical inspiration and romantic style of writing, therefore, children characters in these writing also had historical and heroic features This is reason for that in period from 1945 to 1975, historical story for children strongly develops and this kind of character became typical type in children literature in the period Children character as life mirror appeared in period from 1960 to 1975, children character is mirror in life, playing important role in encouraging spirit of Vietnamese children in anti-American movement and building Socialist He/she is real character in the life, the writer only reflects his/her success, for example, Hoa Xuan Tu, Nguyen Ngoc Ky, Bui Thi Tu, Nguyen Thi Hong, Hoang Van Hai, etc 2.2.4 Abandoned children character In situation for continuing war, children in the South have lived a life without orientations The war broke many families, making children be orphan, his/her life like dust Abandoned by family, society, these children live without purposes, without ideal In this status, there were two reaction ways of children, 1) Displease, becoming vagrants and 2) Resigned, becoming victim of life Children of the two ways have been abandoned by their society and family This made two expressing types of children characters in the South Children Literature, Vagrant Children Character – Life Like Dust and Unhappy Children Character 2.2.4.1 Vagrant Children Character – Life Like Dust The model was expressed in writing of Duyen Anh with stories The Dream of a Grasses, Following Looking, Tear Deluding Melody, Chau Kool, etc In Duyen Anh‟s stories, these characters were expressed as children were thrown out their families, living without home, living by defiant attitude, upside down with moral criteria or they parried the present to come back the past with childhood dreams Intentionally, pages for childhood stage in this period were abundant with authors such as Duyen Anh, Tu Ke Tuong, Dinh Tien Luyen, Nhat Tien, etc Being the way resisting to the present, these writers came back to children, with childhood idle dreams Childhood became shelter for the souls full of hearbreaking, sadness with the present In sunny school yard with flamboyant tree‟s shadows, young ladies‟ coat covered their souls, bringing them back to beginning touching with purity and keen Childhood playfulness, spontaneousness helped them come back to the childhood full of dreams 2.2.5.1 Spontaneous Children Character In attempts to shorten the author‟s soul with marvellous world of children, Duyen Anh, Nhat Tien, Tu Ke Tuong etc created spontaneous children character with lively, truthful and emotional features Stunning Chuong, Elephant-eared Hue, Curly Ngan, Đakao Dung, Khoa, Vu, Con, Thuy, etc in Duyen Anh‟s writings, each child with each personality, face, however, they had the same feature – spontaneous, pure and impartial characteristic 2.2.5.2 Dreamy Children Character Before 1975, in the South of Vietnam, people was always frighten, worried, in a divided mind when they saw their youth decaying with a standstill of society “The youth was abandoned out life, and enclosed in the school” (in story The youth, page 72) The writers found the way come back heaven without the youth to naming boy and girl students with beginning emotions in their pages Pearl Magazine leaded by Duyen Anh was place stored writings of writers for children Duyen Anh with stories Thirteen Years Old, Vu, Thuy, Flamboyant, The Youth, Miss Coat, About Loving Daisy, etc Tu Ke Tuong with The Road with Flying Flamboyant, Old Huyen, etc Dinh Tien Luyen with Beloved Brother Chi, A Flock White Birds in School Yard, etc Nha Ca with Sixteen Moon, Hoang Ngoc Tuan with Letter to Son Cuc Road, Seem to be Loved, etc The differences between character patterns in the children's stories in the South – the North Cultural factors Society: In the North, the Revolution Literature highlighted the cheerleading resistance war duties, towards the child character patterns such as: young soldiers, exemplary citizens, In the South, since it was affected by political goals, the children characters reflected the realistic 10 vision of writers to the society and on the other hand, towards human values and sustainability Therefore, children characters were shown more in detail about their innocence, mischievousness and naivety in the literature of the South This was also the general trend of Southern literature in this period seen in the writings of some authors such as: Son Nam, Binh Nguyen Loc They were focused on culture, customs, people and nature to exploit the pristine beauty, the essence of nature and human After 1954, there was a special history period in the Southern Vietnam The influence from history and the fluctuation in the political arena had made Southern artists fall into a psychological instability state with anxiety, doubt and confusion At this time in the North, from 1945 to 1954, there was the war resistance and the revolution atmosphere appearing in all aspects of life, even: "Every boy dreams to iron horse/ Every river wants to be Bach Dang " (Che Lan Vien) This difference had led to the distinctions in children character patterns in children stories between the South and the North 2.3 ART FEATURES OF BUILDING CHARACTERS 2.3.1 Description of characters dominantly in action but seldom in appearance and psychology 2.3.1.1 Simple portrait 2.3.1.2 Focus on revolutionary actions description As mentioned in the first Chapter, one of the features belonging to children characters was mostly depicted in action but seldom focused on psychology This feature easily lead to misunderstand about the similarities in the children character building in general and the way to build characters in epic historical fictions in Vietnam in the 1945-1975 period Revolution Literature built human images similar to the ones in the classical epic It is human with action, words together with action, and every inner thought expressed through action Children characters were described more about their action and it was not due to the psychological forgetting, and inner torment was not the main problem in life At the age of children, the concerns about life, about the world, just begin When describing the characters, the writers often show children in a state of "active" status rather than "static" one That is the obvious "dynamic" status, the essence of childhood Writers in the 1945-1975 period had made a portrait of the active children, but it was not the real action of children 11 In two types of characters: abandoned children characters and children characters with spontaneous and dreamy features in some urban children stories in the South, the description of the character portraits was usually shown in a different way Writers such as Duyen Anh, Nhat Tien, Tu Ke Tuong Dinh Tien Luyen, have created special and lively portraits The different ways in describing the children portraits in the South and the North started from differences from the tasks of the writers based on historical situation As mentioned in the previous section, the children's literature writers in the North were affected by the special atmosphere then they has created the children portraits with idealization and many features resembling adults Meanwhile, in the South, the complex context of the war led writers freely choose characters: reappearing children with realistic trends or reflecting good values of human Based on these points, the Southern urban writers built portraits of innocent, mischievous children, children with real childish features Of course, these differences were only ways to portray children characters between the South and the North It originated from the issues of history This does not imply that it was negative or affirmable for any sides The existence of each art method has its own meanings 2.3.2 Language of characters influenced by the era language The language of children characters inclines towards the dialogue Selftalking in the complex problems of life is not suitable for children features This became more reasonable in children literature during period from 1945 to 1975 in Vietnam when the general model for the children characters was action, less complex inner thinking and less personal conflicts Children talked in adults‟ accent Note that this was different from the needs of children that they want to be become an adult Children literature in the period of 45-75, children characters joined in play but not in the children‟s way It was followed the wishes of authors - adults Characters said with the adults‟ language and with some characters they sometimes forgot that they were still children The ignorance of children‟s language showed the power of discoursing characters in the children's stories Obviously, this problem was one of the specific and highlighted features of children‟s literature in Vietnam in the 1945-1975 period 2.3.3 Individuality of the child characters in children's literature in the South Two types of comic characters children children in the South: Abandoned children character and Spontaneous and Dreamy Children Character, language evoking characters personality 12 It can be said that in both the South and the North of Vietnam in this period, the children characters were not separated from the era environment and history In the North, child characters were placed in an ideal environment and atmosphere, therefore, language of children should be selected following the modern trends and the specific feature of the era In the South, children characters were placed in complex and crisis environments, therefore, the language of children showed the lost confidence in society In the spontaneous, dreamlike characters, the language of the characters showed the close link to children This would also be suggestion for illustrating character patterns in children's stories in the later stages Part conclusion: Three types of characters: Young soldiers in combat, exemplary citizens in life, and the presenting model characters in the children‟s stories at this stage were the typical images of children against the vicissitudes of history and to the brutality of war They appeared with beautiful, exceptional, strong and virile images They were representative for the young generation with the aspirations and lofty ideal life and with courage and self-strengthening of our country They were a glorious continuation of precious traditions of the nation with the heroic, faithful children images for nation protection and construction However, the readers has not really recognized children characteristics with these characters in this period In two types of characters: abandoned children characters and children characters with spontaneous and dreamy features in some urban children stories in the South showed inherited traits and differences in describing and expressing characters Moreover, it would also be a prerequisite for the appearance of spontaneous children in literature in the South later 13 CHAPTER CHILDREN CHARACTERS IN AFTER 75 3.1 FACTORS AFFECTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS CHARACTER PATTERNS 3.1.1 Change in culture and society - The innovated spirit - The explosion of media era - The change in family structure - The modern life - The change in the using way of Vietnamese language 3.1.2 Increase in number of writers and influence of the oversea literature The writing team after the year of 86 has developed rapidly: To Hoai, Pham Ho, Nguyen Quynh, Tran Thien Huong, Hoang Da Thi, Le Canh Nhac, Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Chau Giang, Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, Tran Duc Tien, The influence of oversea literature: Harry Potter, Doremon, comic manganese, 3.1.3 Achievements of psychology Achievements in psychology for children: Children in the centre, considering children as an independent, distinct entity, not as a copy of an adult, not as a miniature adult 3.1.4 Change in the writer concepts about children In modern time, children are placed in the context of daily life with their own troubles and complexity and are recognized as a personality to the relationship with the surrounding environment FACE OF CHILDREN CHARACTER AFTER 1975 3.2.1 Victim character: War victims and Life victims 3.2.1.1 War victims Before 1975, when writing about children in the war, writers created younger solider characters as representative of the youth with aspiration, will to compete for independence This was character with image of heroes in idea, action, quality The writers did not pay attentions to personality development of the character, they only focused on reflecting beauty in war context After 1975, there were suitable changes, expression of children character in war Children characters, therefore, still attached their lives with war years of their people with heroic quality, shap, however, other characteristics were bad outcomes and hear-breaking by the war 14 Children character in war context was expressed with heart-breaking as victims Children character was expressed bad outcomes in children souls, for example Luong in Sa Ky Once Upon a Tim, Childhood Hard Luck The death of character was used as loss, injury rather than feat of arms, hardship in period before 1975 In movies and photography, image of children in war was truly recoded through documentary films In adult literature, children character also appeared as poor children with no-way, no-future, loss-fixed destiny, for example, Bird Trail of Nguyen Ngoc Tu, notes To Be in Loved of Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Basic Sad of Nguyen Ngoc Thuan However, in children literature, tragic level was relatively decreased Though children character as victims in stories for children after 1975 was decreased in terms of mananimousness, they did not “to be stone dead” Although the character was born in disadvantaged context or be in tricky situation, he/she always overcame the context, the destiny, changing their destiny The character was not existed as opinion, he/she was lively, active, changeable From image of children in war, writings for children in period after 1975 showed that beside brave characteristics, children character was regarded as war victims, small and weak people against violence of the war 3.2.1.2 Life victims Modern life with market economy has made family base unstable When the war ended, people faced with subsistence life Parents had not so much time to take care their children, their family Sometimes, adults also were felt by bad aspects of open period so that they abandoned their children or treated unequally with their children In this situation, children once again became victims in family and school themselves This had strong influences on image of children character in writings after 1975 with two kinds of life victim character, drifting character and resigning characters Drifting character has appeared in world children literature as well as urban literature of the South of Vietnam such as vagrant children in Duyen Anh‟s stories However, this type of drifting character in period after 1975 possesses different features Compared with urban story of the South before 1975, drifting children character in period after 1975 was separated from his/her family too, drifting, living by himself/herself, however the character was always protected by kind people, coming back their home Drifting process was process of thinking, self-exploring life values 15 Before 1975, children character was in large social context, in collective space such as solider units, cooperatives, Socialist schools, etc After 1975, children character was saw in smaller and smaller space and relationships, closely with life, suitable with their size such as family, class, friends In this context, children were not mirror citizens of life, not minimized adults Children were brought back weak, small position in the society, being without power voice and unrespected Children were victims of real life with many disadvantages In other words, children character have to be accepted knock of the author Children characters have no powers, no protections to their dreams in being adult who lived separately with readers in respects Before August Revolution, there was resigning character, however, the writers used to focus on effect of unhappy life on character life As we mentioned in chapter 1, destiny of children character use to go with lives of the poor, the unhappy in society The writers reasoned humbleness of the character through social aspects Children were poor, humble because they have to live in dull society, in poor situation of the miserable and poor That is common destiny of people before August Revolution Children literature before 1975 also concentrated on that situation, however, the writers explored the situation in terms of life attached with children matters such as family, school, teachers, for example, Thi in Run Away story, Duy and Tham in Orphaned in Life, Kiem in Kiem – Boy – Human, etc Children were victims of adult relationships: the father - mother relationship Dream and hope of children character were beautiful things – the nature of children or common thinking trend of children This also explained why children like fairy tales This is feature of stories for children in which the situation was not so pessimistic so that the characters always have good qualities, for example Pippi Long Stockings and Small Princess of F.H Burnett, etc In general, by designing image of children character as victims of war and life, the writers showed changes in their view about children in period after 1975 Children not only were brave in the war, hard working, hard learning but also joint in shouldering losses, heart-breaking of the people in the war Along with changes in new life, children were victim too – small destiny in lethal weapon and in the bitter of life 3.2.2 Experiencing children character After war, sense of “self” awaked, people interested in find themselves From using social point as reference, literature now use 16 privacy – world affairs, human fate to estimate reality and look back the past Therefore, autobiography became new prospect, attracting many modern writers‟ interests In correlation with adult literature, children autobiography of children literature is a way in innovating writing style (as common trend of adult literature) as indispensable truth in looking back childhood memory, forming children a new world – a different world with reality of the writers It is experiencing children character which stand for the self – children – writer character appeared in childhood autobiography writing The writer develops children image – story teller for readers about lives, human beings in that children image Those are people, lives with obsession, generalization which make readers feel their childhood in those characters Experiencing children character have been appeared before August Revolution in some memoirs pages such as Childhood Days of Nguyen Hong, Wild Grass of To Hoai, etc These pages virtually disappeared in period from 1945 to 1975 The reason may come from revolutionary life with ranges of events happened, in which writers have to become people transferring those historical changes, expressing magnanimous war of the people Therefore, the writers had no time to look back the past After 1975, the writers came back this theme on basis of period before 1945 However, in their writings, there were not only childhood with happiness, sadness but also acknowledge about war, life, children, adults, childhood, etc In recognizing about experiencing children character, we can see innovations in reality and human being feelings, especially children opinions of the writers As far as we concerned, in terms of serving children, experiencing children character sometimes was regarded as “older” children because of their missions in explaining problems which need many life experiences Inevitably, when writing story in first person and when an adult writing about a child, even his/her childhood period, self of writer – adult mixes children‟s voice who was imagined to express life concerns The existence of experiencing children character in children literature writing brings us explanation about relatively enlargement of receivers of writings for children This character is not only for children but also for adult readers The character not only tell children story but also past matters, present matters as well This explains why there were works published from Kim Dong Publishing House as well as writing awards for children, but children are not interested in so much as adults 17 3.2.3 The innocent children characters Segregation of innocent children characters into a separate type does not negative the previous opinions, heroic children characters, street children, experienced children characters who are not innocent In these previous types of children characters, the innocence and impartiality were still sketched by writers when they drew the appearance of the characters However, the dominance of these characters were the scratches with life so the innocence became minor and rapidly disappeared, or prone to thinking life so the natural innocence, original innocence were no longer existed In some later writings, we realized more clearly that the natural innocent and unborn features of children were placed on top- ranking, and was used as the highlights in the building of children images After 1975, beside the educational aspects, children's literature has been paying more attention to aestheticism Until the 90s, under the requirements of „the open‟ period and when the society has stronger records in the way of looking at children or when writers have some changes in the way of showing more about the images of children characters for approaching readers, the children's literature starts to focus more on individual aesthetic requirements This has brought an opportunity to create children characters whose key features are innocence, natural characteristic It can be seen that the number of innocent children characters in Vietnamese children stories was limited This illustrates a fact that the writers seem to focused so much on the educational aspects, then they forgot to let the children characters became more childlike When a writing is created from its own aesthetic conceptions of childhood, when a character has the life of a child, that writing and that character can be interested to and welcome by children Currently, in children's literature of Vietnam there is only one author named Nguyen Nhat Anh could be qualified these requirements of children The innocence, mischievousness of characters in Nguyen Nhat Anh‟s stories have a continuation from the traditional context flow through the writings of Duyen Anh Returning to a child-like innocence is always a deep aspiration of the man The child characters in the writings of Nguyen Huy Thiep and Pham Thi Hoai (although they did not write for children) were portrayed as a world salvation Children, in the creations of Thiep and Hoai, are the final storage of Kindness and the Beautiful Thu (The Mother Soul) and Hon (The Angel) are such characters The purity, holiness in the souls of 18 children like Thu and Hon are magical light shining in the dark minds and sprawling of lies, cruelties and injustices of adults When people fall into the bottom of the pain and the despair, then the innocence and pristine holiness of children are the ultimate salvation If children's literature builds the image of innocent children as a way of confirming the nature properties belonging to the children and belonging to children's literature, the adult literature creates the children patterns with the beauty of holiness and rusticness as a refuge for all the faults of humanity and as the last place to save the Beauty and Kindness In conclusion, studying deeply about the innocence of children characters, children stories after 1975 showed that the new conception of writers about children and about children's literature The innocent and pure children characters also contributed to bring the writings closer to children readers It also showed the inevitable trend of writing for children, beside the value of education, and children's literature should be asymptote of humane values in this particular type of writings 3.2.4 Children characters with initial emotion In the period 1945-1975, the emotions of adolescence were virtually absent in the child characters, except some of the characters in the writings in the south of Vietnam In the last period of this literary stage, there was some good appearance through the images of Thu and Hoan in Dinh Bang Volunteering Teenager Team – Xuan Sach, Bui and Phuong in When Spring Coming – Le Phuong Lien However, the emotional aspect of adolescence was slightly portrayed slightly or was transformed into same style–mind emotion After 1975, children's literature has dominantly showed the writings for pupil ages At the first stage, there were some writings such as: short story collections Where are you now?, Past Chrysopogon of Tran Thien Huong, Gift of the Age of Le Thi Thu Thuy, White Pele of Hoang Da Thi, Short Hair of Nguyen Thi Chau Giang, Little to Remember, Blue Eyes, ThreePeople Room, The Girl Coming from Yesterday, Red Summer, Five-Seat Table, School Girl, Rose in Different Places of Nguyen Nhat Anh About 10 years ago, there were some new writers born in 80s and 90s in Twenty Century such as Phong Ling, Du Quynh Thy, Le Vu Tu Uyen, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Y, Do Tu Cuong, Lam Moon, Even there was a very young writer named Minh Nhat who was at 12 Physical specialized grade of Hanoi – Amsterdam High School and started to write short stories when he was in grade 10 He has two published writings: A sudden-Nice day and The choice of Sky 19 The appearance of children characters with adolescent emotions showed the renewed-interest as well as the respect of the writer to the romantic stage The writers have opened the door of soul with daze, timidness, excitements, … of the adolescence stage In that stage, the writers can light up their own passed time in their lives and the readers can look at their feelings in the innocent and dreaming images 3.2.5 The romantic-childish hero character The romantic heroes in children's literature are similar to the heroes in fairy tales, both have a standard set of personalities such as strength, bravery, dedication, The premise for the birth of the romantic childish hero character is idealization of childhood during the romantic era It is believed that the innocence of children is able to conquer devils Therefore, only children have full strength and were tasked to against the dark powers At a certain aspect, the romantic childish hero character is quite similar to the legendary hero of the epic at some points, such as heroic characteristics, super powers, a process of conquering the challenge However, the biggest differences between these two types of characters are that the romantic childish hero character returns to the original space and be stripped the power of the hero Even in some cases, this character is shifted out of the legendary elements and returns to the real life aspects This reflects a fact about the correlation between the strength of the children and adults in the society When the character returns to the real life without supporting, the power of adult is reconstructed There are a variety of characters like the romantic childish hero characters in the world These include Harry Potter, Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson and Olympiad Gods - Rick Ridordan), Jason (The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Ridordan ), Pevensie children (The Chronicles of Narnia CS Lewis ) Josh (Joshua Profile - MGHarris ), Among these characters, Harry Potter is the one mostly influencing Vietnamese readers In Vietnam, the romantic hero characters are also used to appear in the folk tales, such as Thanh Giong, So Dua, Thach Sanh, Tam Cam, Although these folk tales were initially created not for children but the compatibility between traditional thinking and childhood thinking have made children to become easier to approach folk literature Before the August Revolution, there was the appearance of fake-fairy tales created with the purpose for children such as "The more Greedy, The more Losable" - Nguyen Van Nghiem, Dream of Prince Consort - Vi Ho, A Ceramic Pot - Khai Hung, A Small World - Khai Hung, However, similar to fairy tales, children characters in these stories were still weaker 20 than supporters and most of them witnessed the magic but did not really have their own magic After 1945, the Revolution Literature has appeared heroic childish characters but children in this period could not go beyond a reality space They became heroes because they are products of the heroic era The childish hero characters in this period were the mean of though transmission and play a role in encouragement, support the battles and present a good example to educate children Despite existence of romantic hero characters in folk creation and their wide influence in the foreign literature, but in Vietnam, this type of character has not been focused on yet, except two typical writings: Langbiang Stories and A Battle with Fantom Planet In general, Vietnamese children's literature still lacks of fantasy writings with the images of a romantic-childish hero It can be said that the construction of the romantic-childish hero characters has demonstrated the efforts of writers in bringing children‟s literature to younger readers It not only shows the changes in the way of approaching the reality of composers but also confirms the efforts of writers to grasp and to understand the specific aesthetic values of children‟s literature 3.3 THE FEATURES IN BUILDING CHILDREN CHARACTERS IN CHILDREN'S STORIES AFTER 1975 3.3.1 Character description in different aspects linking and close to children 3.3.1.1 Variety in character portraits 3.3.1.2 Character personalization 3.3.2 The efforts in building children language system 3.3.2.1 Conversational language system Salutation: Formal, you - me => Informal, you - me Vulgar, innocent words Language with features specific on era and technology Parody saying Adults Imitating = > Abolish the complex thinking of adult Respect the naive and shaky express of children With childhood language, innovating the language by selecting a language that is thought to be emptiness and meaningless of children were considered as a creative trend of literary in some Russian artistic authors In a study with the title "Early aesthetics of Russian art", author Sara Pankenier showed the relationship between children language and strategy 21 of using children vocabulary, tone, outlook in innovating the language of some Russian artists during 1930-1939 period Bringing conversational language system into character‟s words not only reflects the trend of democratization in the language of literature after 1975, but for children literature, the appearance of daily life language, speech in children‟s songs also illustrate the children trend in the words of children characters This has significance in innovation, forming exactly images of the children character and also has a suggestion for the art in general approach the world from a new potential subject: children 3.3.2.2 The witty and amusing dialogues Using laughing features to establish the linguistic system of children characters In overseas culture, the laughing features are also exploited by writers to create a linguistic system of children characters such as Mart Twain with Adventures of Tom Swayer There is a relationship between amusing language of children with folk laughing features In folklore, there is a satirical feature aside with main features It creates a counterweight, a folk power There, people had rebuild a different world, "second world", peripheral and direct against to the real world The main characteristics of folk laughing feature to distinguish it from others and that the satiric laughing feature has "twodirections" (Bakhtin): "it's hilarious and rejoicing, ridicules and mock, both negative and positive and both death and reborn" (Bakhtin 2006 p 37) At this point, the folk laughing feature has similarities with the laughing feature of children In the children one, it is realized to have innocence, naughtiness, dethronement and ordainment of children It's pure, innocent laughing and this creates a good aesthetic pleasure 3.3.2.3 Educational and language relationship between narrator and character languages There have been many attempts in the creation of early childhood language system in language expression of children characters in children's stories after 1975 However, there is an undeniable characteristic of these literary writings that the narrator (dominantly) is an adult This decides the particular traits for language type of characters in children writings and creates "disputes" in the discourse of characters and the discourse of authors The authors of children literature after 1975 have achievements in expressing children characters through childish words We should acknowledge that it is difficult to completely dismantle the author's writing 22 features – adult words in children characters, since most of the children‟s literature created by adults Hence, even writers try to "saw the horns as a calf", they still feel difficult to hide their taught (the default that adults want to give to children) or hide their own instructions in the language or in character‟s words In some modern children stories from overseas, there has some evidences in trying to get rid of the presence of authors, such as a combination of personal narration and personal words, an inclusion of the self-telling and the telling by witnesses or the monologue telling and the self-telling, Although the efforts in the childish language expression still need to be continued, there is a world with unique features of the childhood that humanity should respect It can be said that children characters in children's stories after 1975 has been shown in variable and colorful features The diversity of the type character types with the new conception in expressing children images has brought new viewpoints to children‟s literature The efforts in building close and suitable characters for children as well as trying to achieve language expressing methods, to build up character portraits showed the changes in the attitude of the writers about children It also demonstrates the position of children's literature in the general literary of Vietnam Children's literature is a part of Vietnam's literature and it needs to have its own characteristics and should be inspired by the private aesthetic vision 23 CONCLUSIONS Over about a century, Vietnamese Children Literature reached many successes even there were some disadvantages In this process, children character has played core image in writings and in aesthetic expressions of the writer about children Children character in stories for children, from 1945 to 1975, were expressed as idea inspirating character This created main face for children character from 1945 to 1975 – children in adult forms Children literature in the war “remarked children image with spontaneous, laborious, cheerful and patient features in war, in learning, in laboring as well”, said To Hoai Along with innovation of Vietnamese literature, children literature after 1975 had changes in developing children image Abundant development of character types in this period showed changes in reality approaching way as well as children concept Children character expression from 1945 to present showed a reality in which Vietnamese stories for children have increasingly created character close with life and psychological and physiological features of children This also expresses that children character is different one Although children literature is a part of general literature, there are differences If we accept these differences, we will have to accept special aesthetic features of children literature Studying children character in Vietnamese children literature provided us thinking about values and effects of children aesthetic feelings with general literature works, seeing life with children eyes, making art with children ways This will bring new matters from things seem to be close This also help life become fresher, more delicious and more wonderful [...]... their souls, bringing them back to beginning touching with purity and keen Childhood playfulness, spontaneousness helped them come back to the childhood full of dreams 2.2.5.1 Spontaneous Children Character In attempts to shorten the author‟s soul with marvellous world of children, Duyen Anh, Nhat Tien, Tu Ke Tuong etc created spontaneous children character with lively, truthful and emotional features Stunning... changes in the attitude of the writers about children It also demonstrates the position of children's literature in the general literary of Vietnam Children's literature is a part of Vietnam's literature and it needs to have its own characteristics and should be inspired by the private aesthetic vision 23 CONCLUSIONS 1 Over about a century, Vietnamese Children Literature reached many successes even there... Character Before 1975, in the South of Vietnam, people was always frighten, worried, in a divided mind when they saw their youth decaying with a standstill of society “The youth was abandoned out life, and enclosed in the school” (in story The youth, page 72) The writers found the way come back heaven without the youth to naming boy and girl students with beginning emotions in their pages Pearl Magazine... Vietnamese language 3.1.2 Increase in number of writers and influence of the oversea literature The writing team after the year of 86 has developed rapidly: To Hoai, Pham Ho, Nguyen Quynh, Tran Thien Huong, Hoang Da Thi, Le Canh Nhac, Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Chau Giang, Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, Tran Duc Tien, The influence of oversea literature: Harry Potter, Doremon, comic manganese, 3.1.3 Achievements... children once again became victims in family and school themselves This had strong influences on image of children character in writings after 1975 with two kinds of life victim character, drifting character and resigning characters Drifting character has appeared in world children literature as well as urban literature of the South of Vietnam such as vagrant children in Duyen Anh‟s stories However,... to aestheticism Until the 90s, under the requirements of „the open‟ period and when the society has stronger records in the way of looking at children or when writers have some changes in the way of showing more about the images of children characters for approaching readers, the children's literature starts to focus more on individual aesthetic requirements This has brought an opportunity to create... when a character has the life of a child, that writing and that character can be interested to and welcome by children Currently, in children's literature of Vietnam there is only one author named Nguyen Nhat Anh could be qualified these requirements of children The innocence, mischievousness of characters in Nguyen Nhat Anh‟s stories have a continuation from the traditional context flow through the writings... literature should be asymptote of humane values in this particular type of writings 3.2.4 Children characters with initial emotion In the period 1945-1975, the emotions of adolescence were virtually absent in the child characters, except some of the characters in the writings in the south of Vietnam In the last period of this literary stage, there was some good appearance through the images of Thu and Hoan in... Giang, Little to Remember, Blue Eyes, ThreePeople Room, The Girl Coming from Yesterday, Red Summer, Five-Seat Table, School Girl, Rose in Different Places of Nguyen Nhat Anh About 10 years ago, there were some new writers born in 80s and 90s in Twenty Century such as Phong Ling, Du Quynh Thy, Le Vu Tu Uyen, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Y, Do Tu Cuong, Lam Moon, Even there was a very young writer named Minh Nhat... and play a role in encouragement, support the battles and present a good example to educate children Despite existence of romantic hero characters in folk creation and their wide influence in the foreign literature, but in Vietnam, this type of character has not been focused on yet, except two typical writings: Langbiang Stories and A Battle with Fantom Planet In general, Vietnamese children's literature ... differences in systematics of Vietnam Therefore, we not apply inflexibly the M.Nikolajeva‟s systematics in Vietnamese story for children, this systematics plays fulcrum for our systematics in each... character in Vietnamese Literature process, reflecting movements and basic rules in Vietnamese Literature Practically, by determining structural system of children character in Vietnamese Children... Metafictive Characters When applying the M.Nikolajeva‟s systematics in Vietnamese story for children, we see the systematics is suitable in Vietnam However, in terms of history, culture, society, there