The Influence of The Brothers Grimm on Nguyen Dong Chi’s Viewpoint and Method of Collecting Folk Narratives

Author: On Thi My Linh (Thai Nguyen University of Education, Vietnam)
Speaker: On Thi My Linh
Topic: Language, Dialect, Sociolect, Genre
The (SCOPUS / ISI) SOAS GLOCAL CALA 2020 Poster Session

Abstract

This paper discusses the influence of the Brothers Grimm in Vietnam through a specific case- Nguyễn Đổng Chi, a Vietnamese folklore collector and folklore researcher. I will introduce this scholar and his work and trace the influence the Grimms had on him in several ways. I begin with what kind of access Nguyễn Đổng Chi had to the Grimms works. I will then turn to ideological similarities particularly with regard to the role given to collecting: although folklore was not the first interest either of the Grimms or of  Nguyễn Đổng Chi, they all chose to devote a good portion of their lives to collect and research this subject. What was the reason for this decision? Finally, I examine Nguyễn Đổng Chi’s method of collecting and classifying folk narratives; based on his notes and his articles I seek to understand how Nguyễn Đổng Chi adapted the Grimms’ model in his folk narrative collection, “Kho tàng truyện cổ tích Việt Nam” (A Treasure Chest of Vietnamese Folktales).

Keywords: Brothers Grimm; Nguyen Dong Chi; folk narrative; collecting folk narratives