Is Confucianism In Nguyen Du's The Tale Of Kieu?

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Issued in 1820, Nguyen Du’s The Tale of Kieu is deemed one of, if not the most, substantial work of Vietnamese literature. Written during a time when Chinese culture was dominant in Vietnam and Chinese was the official language, Du’s choice to write his epic poem in Vietnamese was a rejection of the great Chinese influence occurring in Vietnam at the time. The Chinese language is far from the only aspect of Chinese culture rejected by Du. Various aspects of Confucianism, the main Chinese philosophy that influenced society, are also repudiated in Du’s work. Despite the rejection of Chinese culture, certain aspects of Confucianism still frame and influence The Tale of Kieu. By including certain aspects of Confucianism while simultaneously rejecting others, Du demonstrates that morality is not a black and white issue with definite right and wrong answers like Confucianism purports it to be. Instead, Du expresses that morality is multi-faceted …show more content…

The Classic of Poetry, which is believed to have been edited by the creator of Confucianism himself, “is drawn on some fifty times” (Shirokauer 383). Du’s work also includes quotations from other prominent Confucian writers such as “Meng Qiao, Sima Xiangru, Qi Kang, Su Shi, and others” (Shirokauer 383). Additionally, in expressing Kieu’s great poetic skill, Du writes “Could Ban and Xie have measured up to this?” (Du 559). Ban and Xie were both greatly respected Confucian scholars. Evidently, Du has great respect for these authors since he included them in his work, yet he himself refuses to follow their conventions. This is just another instance where Du demonstrates that values are not strict like Confucianism claims they are. Instead, it is perfectly acceptable to pick and choose which ones one wants to follow based on one’s personal beliefs and

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