Re-reading Nguyễn Đình Thi’s Rừng Trúc (Bamboo Forest): A new historicist perspective

Abstract

Nguyễn Đình Thi (1924-2003) was one of the most talented artists in Vietnamese literature of the 20th century. Among them, the literary script Bamboo Forest was considered one of the works written on historical topics that created a unique mark by Nguyễn Đình Thi. Up to now, this work still has interesting aspects and deserves to be discussed further. Drawing from the historical figure of Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the last empress of the Lý Dynasty, and from the modern cultural mindset of the 20th century, Nguyễn Đình Thi crafted a portrayal of Lý Chiêu Hoàng marked by the intellectual beauty and noble character. This article approaches the Bamboo Forest literary script from a new historicist perspective to analyze the close relationship between the political power structure and the marriage institution of feudal system. Marriage was a way to consolidate dynastic power. Within this context, the characters have had a process of self-fashioning and self-cancellation as the means of obeying and resisting the power structure. The article proves that Nguyễn Đình Thi's Bamboo Forest was a text that continued to explain people's choices and behavior when faced of power, and it also explains the relationship between individuals and kinship/community. By connecting the theme of women with the issue of national identity, Nguyễn Đình Thi affirmed the stature of women and demonstrated a change in the concept of women's position in the course of Vietnamese history.