胡春香(호ㆍ쑤언ㆍ흐엉 Hŏ Xuân Húóng) 쯔ㆍ놈詩의 작품 세계

A Study on the Vietnamese Poet Ho Xuan Huong

This study was designed to comprehend the outline of Ho Xuan Huong's poetry and to indicate its place in the transitional period from the medieval tu modern ages of Vietnamese literary history. A very popular poetess, Ho Xuan Huong occupies a special place in Vietnamese literature. The main theme of Ho Xuan Huong's poetry may be compressed into criticism against the medieval age and earnest desire for new age. She was no longer content to lament women's hard fate but resolutely attacked male supremacy. She disclosed hypocrisies of intellectuals, unmasked social conventions, and protested against polygamy. She was not afraid to use popular and colourful language, rich in bold expressions and handled risky words and phrases skilfully. In her inimitable style, dotted with allusions and double entendre, she castigated the most respected people in the society. She showed her deep affection for unhappy woman, and did not hesitate to defend unmarried mothers in a strict society. When we estimate Ho Xuan Huong from the context of Vietnamese literary history, we may place her among Le Quy Dun and Nguyen Du. Ho Xuan Huong is similar to Le Quy Don in affirming the natural human instinct without any premises of medieval morality. And also Ho Xuan Huong is similar to Nguyen Du in dealing with women's fate and fluently using spoken language of the public. This study has shown the need to deepen understanding Ho Xuan Huong by comparing poets of Korea and Vietnam and to pay attention to the literary history of Eastern Asian poetry.