RECONFIGURING MEANING IN LATE MEDIEVAL VIETNAMESE NARRATIVE: A SECULARIZATION-BASED APPROACH AND IMPLICATIONS FOR LITERARY READING-COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of the meaning-making mechanism in late medieval Vietnamese narrative under the influence of secularization. Drawing on an integrated framework of narratology and discourse theory, it investigates three fundamental components of narrative structure including plot, character, and narrative voice - narrator through The Story of the Woman in Nam Xương (Chuyện người con gái Nam Xương), The Tale of Kiều (Truyện Kiều), and A Record of the Unification of the Imperial Lê (Hoàng Lê nhất thống chí). The findings reveal that the meaning-making mechanism shifted from a normative model to a constructive one, as reflected in changes to the conditions of meaning-making, the redistribution of discursive authority, and the emergence of meaning through the narrative process. On this basis, the article proposes viewing secularization as the driving force behind the restructuring of the meaning-making mechanism in late medieval Vietnamese narrative. It also contributes a theoretical foundation for enhancing the teaching of reading comprehension of medieval Vietnamese literature in line with the competency-based orientation of the 2018 General Education Curriculum for Vietnamese Language Arts and Literature.