Filial piety and individual freedom: Confucian ethics and gender relations as seen through two Vietnamese novels

The emergence of the modern 20th century Vietnamese novel cannot be separated from gender relations issues, especially Vietnamese novels in romanized script produced by reformist and conservative intellectuals from the 1920s onwards. This dissertation seeks to compare and analyze the relations between filial piety and individuality within the wider debates on Confucian ethics and gender relations in two novels, the reformist Nha´t Linh's THoa&dotbelow;n Tuye&dotbelow;ˆt and its conservative rebuttal, Nguye˜n Cong Hoan's Co Giao Minh.; Part I surveys Vietnam's history, the rise of the modern Vietnamese novel and its socio-ethical impact. The history and significance of the Tu&dotbelow; Lu&dotbelow;c Van THoan (Self-Strength Literary Movement) and its detractors are explored in relation to Vietnamese gender relations and Vietnamese women's position in family and society. The terms "gender" and "Confucian gender relations" are also defined and analyzed within their socio-historical context. This reveals a widespread essentialization of Confucian gender relations by both Chinese and Western scholars until the late 1970s. Contemporary scholarship has revealed a nuanced and ambiguous picture of Confucian gender relations in Chinese history. This dissertation also analyzes the debates between Vietnamese traditionalists and reformists on the identification of Vietnam's national essence with Confucianism. Although reformists demanded change and traditionalists emphasized preservation, they both agreed that Confucianism defined Vietnamese national essence. Hence, both parties failed to appreciate the ambivalent and flexible nature of Vietnamese gender relations, especially its bilateral character that held both the indigenous matriarchal and Confucian patriarchal elements in tension with each other.; Part II analyzes the two novels, uncovering how their themes reflected the broader conflict in 1930s Vietnam between modernity and Confucian tradition. While Nha´t Linh emphasized women's emancipation, Nguye˜n Cong Hoan defended traditional Confucian gender relations, insisting that progress and tradition could be accommodated with patience and compromise. Unable to see beyond their time, these authors essentialized patriarchal gender hegemony, neglecting the underlying bilateralism of Vietnamese gender relations. This dissertation concludes with an analysis of the implications of the bilateral gender relations for Vietnamese women, exploring the ongoing negotiation between the formal official power of men and the informal practical power of women.