Nguyen Du's Concept of Beauty and Ugly Expressed through The Tale of Kieu

The goal of this paper is to explore the ideas of beauty and ugliness in Nguyen Du’s The Tale of Kieu. Combining philosophical and literary hermeneutic on one hand and deconstructionist approaches on the other, the author investigates Nguyen Du’s aesthetic philosophy and how it interacts with moral standards. Nguyen Du aspires to define aesthetic standards using a unique literary style, namely his subtle presentation of beauty. More significantly, he questions the feudal moral system that determines human fate. Du’s The Tale of Kieu thus offers an incisive philosophical and cultural mirror of mediaeval Vietnam. It provides a window for readers to grasp the essence of nationalism as well as a strong involvement with personal suffering. My aim is to clarify how beauty and ugliness function as aesthetic and ethical markers by placing Nguyen Du’s work inside more general historical, feminist, and cultural-linguistic frames. Moreover, I offer a blend of postcolonial, feminist, and cultural studies points of view, as I expose the ongoing relevance of The Tale of Kieu in forming modern Vietnamese identity and literary output.