KIEU THANH QUE AND HIS MONOGRAPH “LITERARY CRITICISM”

Abstract

The literary legacy of the writer Kiều Thanh Quế can be considered a “fertile land” and an “opening structure” which suggest/require numerous interpretations and judgments. Understanding Kieu Thanh Que’s essential contributions to the formation of theoretical fundamentals of literary criticism helps re-evaluate his role and position in Vietnamese literature of the first half 20th century, especially in literary criticism - Kieu Thanh Que’s most dynamic and productive area of work. This article aims to: 1, introduce his monograph Literary Criticism; 2, point out several features of Kieu Thanh Que’s reasoning and critical thinking; and then 3. highlight his contributions to literary criticism of Vietnamese literature over the period 1932-1945. Contextualizing his book Literary Criticism in such early stage of literary criticism allows us to see clearly how he contributed with his ability to recognize and represent some theoretical and current issues in the field of literary criticism.