“Parody” in Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short stories

Parody by Thiep is the basis of his philosophical view of life. Parody in literature has contributed positively and uniquely to the ups and downs of human existence. It can partly answer the question of why Nguyen Huy Thiep’s characters so often speak bitterly of life and yet his works ooze sympathy and positivity in life.
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“Parody” in Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short stories JOURNAL OF SCIENCE OF HNUE Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 61-68 “PARODY” IN NGUYEN HUY THIEP’S SHORT STORIES Le Huy Bac Hanoi Nationnal University of Education E-mail: lehuybac@gmail.com Abstract. Parody in Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short stories is quite diverse. He has managed to create his own signature style in the field. His parody is only vaguely related to comedy and if it is funny, it is bitter fun. Parody by Thiep is the basis of his philosophical view of life. Parody in literature has contributed positively and uniquely to the ups and downs of human existence. It can partly answer the question of why Nguyen Huy Thiep’s characters so often speak bitterly of life and yet his works ooze sympathy and positivity in life. Keyworld: parody, short stories, philosophical view.1. Introduction “The sky is blue. In the sky comes a white cloud looking like a sage. Suddenly,blown by the wind, the sage transforms into a giant hairy dog.” [2;316] It is certain that when writing these lines, Nguyen Huy Thiep did not intendto express a talent for parody. However, comparisons have been made and he isrecognized for his art of parody.2. Content Parody in Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short stories is diverse. He has managed increating his own signature style in the field. His parody is only vaguely related tocomedy and if it is funny, it is bitter fun. “You lured Bieng into a game for fun anddefeated him for real. Your way of wrestling is the way of an intellectual. It can onlyfool Quy, not me.” I laughed. “Have you heard the saying, ‘The revolutionary only concentrateson the ultimate goal’ ?” “Don’t lure me into the politics of ideology, you scoundrel,” Buong said. “You know Buong,” I said. “He is so strong. If he broke my arm, would youfeel sorry for me?” 61 Le Huy Bac “You are by nature a politically intellectual roughneck. How disgusting. Getthe fuck out of here.” Buong spat in my face” [1;333]. No satiety can be found in the fun due to the direct cruel comments in thedialogue of the two characters. This is Nguyen Huy Thiep’s style of parody. In worksby experts of parody like Cervantes and Voltaire, one sees no direct comments on theparodied subject. They focus only on their characters’ use of language and objectiveactions in their immanent logic. Nguyen Huy Thiep purposefully lets his charactersdirectly discuss and comment on the parodied subject. It takes away the surpriseof the parody and minimizes the metaphor of the subject. Nevertheless, thanksto the straightforward description, readers can pick up on the interesting, parodiedthinking. Buong, the professional sawyer, is honest while Ngoc, the unwilling sawyer,who fails his university graduation exam, is deceitful, does not obey the code ofconduct and cheats to win. Buong despises that action and the victory gained aswell. In addition, Nguyen Huy Thiep parodies the ludicrous press. Phong, one ofthe newspaper’s owners whose caricature with horns was printed by the staff, asked,“Is there any truth to the allusion in the cartoon?” The editor said, “I’ve heard a rumor that when you were in Ke Noi, yourson-in-law Dien and your wife Thieu Hoa were very intimate.” Phong laughed hollowly, “Thank you, sir,” He said. “Please carry on with yourwork. Just remember next time to keep the interest of the owner at heart. If youcan’t remember this simple rule, then you shouldn’t be in journalism.” The editor looked confused, “But I thought a jounalist should work in theinterest of freedom, equality and fraternity,” he said. “I see that you have a good sense of humour,” said Phong, “Now get out of mysight before I get angry or you’ll soon be eating shit” [1;175]. This detail not only expresses the nature of the press professional (always withorientation), it also causes the reader to pity both the owner and the reporter. Theyare both victims of what is bad in society. It is easy to see that Nguyen Huy Thiepparodied details are drawn from both his previous works and from life. Therefore,his parodied works not only use prior images or ideas in literature, but also thosein contemporary life. However, in order to be the parodied subject, they should beacknowledged by readers as a particular cultural expression. In this principle, Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short stories also parody the actions ofthe lovebird knight Don Quixote created by Cervantes. When Ngoc, the narrator“I” in The Woodcutters, prevents Buong from raping Quy, Buong challenges Ngocto a fight: “How about that? Move forward! Offer your victory at the feet of MissDulcinea in the village of Toledo” [1;341]. The challenge of the unethical person62 “Parody” in Nguyen Huy Thiep’s short storiesironically turns the future bachelor, the symbol of morality, into a dull-head whofights with the windmill because perhaps Quy herself wants to be raped. This wayof thinking is expressed by the author in the dialogue of the two characters after afierce fight. “You are so mean and cruel,” I said. Buong sneered, “My litle boy, isn’t Jesus Christ mean and cruel? Isn’t Buddhamean and cruel?” “The nobility of human beings seem to lie in ther limits,” I said. “That’s right,” Buong said. “Didn’t you see what happened when Quy had herclothes stripped off?” he asked. “The way she closed her thighs – she was absolutelynoble in her spirit” [1,342]. In this story, Buong is built on the model of Vautrin by Balzac, an experiencedperson who struggles to earn a living and deeply under ...