1 INTRODUCTION Significance of topic research 1.1 In every culture, literature is a mental activity constructed depending on specific age Since 1975, Vietnam has entered a new era: the era of development as a peaceful and unified country that favors integration with the world From the wartime we return to peace New needs arise, issues require reconsideration The comprehensive reform process launched by the Party aims to get our country out of the poverty crisis and lagging behind many decades of war devastation The market economy replaces subsidized economy Exchange opens in a multidimensional way, life changes rapidly with so many new experience; achievements came but also challenges They are all reflexed into literature There have been many researches on this period’s literature from different angles, from the generalization of features, rules, movements of literature, of specific genre to speculations on specific works and authors Our thesis chose to study the narrative methods in fiction (ie novels and short stories, the part with outstanding achievements) in this period as an approach which is both a historic summarization and a thorough interpretation of the typical works based on modern literary theory The narrative method is part of Narratology with which modern literary researchers show great interest The change of the narrative method allows the recognition and evaluation of literature of a period, an era, a movement, or an author in a vivid way Vietnamese fictional prose from the mid-80s onwards has borne great motions, gained numerous artistic values, been admitted by public opinion and researchers Literary history can be seen as the continuation of literary schools, literary currents, which based on different conceptions of human In prose, the most sustainable tendency is to investigate the representation of human through narrative method Throughout the history of national literature, there have been numerous different literary schools but the concept of narrative remains unchanged: the content is more important than how it is told The common form is a story that has a beginning and an end with a plot changed according to the changing personality or fate of characters , all presented as a credible reality Contemporary prose tends to emphasize text construction or form over content Many literary authors claimed that the writing process is the content itself, the very topic of the work Researchers, therefore, acquire new perspectives Exploring the works of Pham Thi Hoai, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Bao Ninh, Ta Duy Anh, Ho Anh Thai, Nguyen Thi Thu Hue, Phan Thi Vang Anh, Nguyen Binh Phuong, Nguyen Viet Ha, Chau Dien, Doan Minh Phuong, Phan Viet, Thuan, Nguyen Danh Lam, Thuy Duong, Nguyen Dinh Tu we have noticed a remarkable change in narrative method The thesis, therefore, with the name "Innovation in narrative methods in contemporary Viet Nam fiction prose", choose to study this problem with the desire to capture and describe the breakthrough of Vietnamese prose after 1986 in comparision with traditional one Knowledge on text construction will serve as a reliable ground to clarify the characteristics of a new aesthetic Research subject and scope 2.1 Research subjects The thesis focuses on identifying and explaining the fundamental and outstanding aspects of the innovation of narrative methods in fictional prose from 1986 up to now: The dominance of the narrative principle upon narrative point of view, character type, how writers deal with genre, narrative techniques and artistic language In order to clarify the new points of the narrative method in this period, we have consulted and compared with the literary period before 1986 and some art forms of the same period as cinema, theater 2.2 Research scope The thesis will examine the short stories and novels from 1986 up to now (ie contemporary fiction prose), which are praised by public opinion or outstanding innovations in narrative methods 3 Objectives and research tasks 3.1 Target - Identify, describe and explain the basic traits in the innovation of narrative methods of Vietnamese fictional prose from 1986 to present, confirming the forming of a new aesthetic system in literary life - Evaluate the significance of this innovation in the national literary process, affirm the achievements of contemporary Vietnamese literature 3.2 Research tasks The thesis focuses on solving the following tasks: - Identify, explain the causes leading to innovation of narrative methods - Survey typical authors and works (Appendix) in the reform of the method of narrative, thereby, clarify the fundamental innovations of fictional prose from 1986 up to now - Point out some useful lessons for literary writing and reception Research Methodology In this thesis, we apply a combination of research methods, including the following main methods: - System method: Recognizing the innovation of narrative methods in connection with the innovation of the entire national literature in the post1975 period from the concept of reality, writers, the reader, literary language; relate the subject to other art forms such as cinema, music, theater - Interdisciplinary method: Exploring literature in relation to cultural studies, psychology, semiotics This helps to better understand the spirit of the era, the cultural interactions reflected in literature - Comparison method: Compare with the literature before 1975 to realize the motions and changes of literature in the post-1975 period Compare aesthetic trends among the authors of the same period to clarify the diversity in the narrative methods of contemporary fictional prose 4 New contributions of the thesis - The thesis is the first in-depth study on the innovation of narrative methods in contemporary Vietnamese fictional prose - Through surveying the narrative method of typical works, the thesis contributes to shed a new light on the appearance and motions of artistic notion in contemporary Vietnamese cultural and literary life in particular - Identify universal rules of contemporary literature (rules of integration, genre interaction, public demands, writer’s aspiration ), direct the aesthetic perception of readers - The results of the thesis are useful references for researchers and lecturers of modern Vietnamese literature Structure of the thesis In addition to the Introduction and Conclusion, the thesis is divided into chapters including: Chapter 1: Overview of research problems Chapter 2: The desire for democracy and the diversification of narrative methods Chapter 3: The efforts to renew the notion of literary character Chapter 4: Renewing notion of genre and the practice of technologyaffected techniques CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS 1.1 Concept of narrative methods Narrative is one of the main ways of constructing a text: narration, description, expression, presentation, and argument The narrative is, in fact, storytelling, a way to reflect the objective reality through specific events and characters, so that the truths are revealed To narrate is to present a series of events in a certain order with a beginning, a main body of events and an ending The specific expressions of the textual narrative method include the use of "narrator" (oral or verbal) to help the listener (or reader) grasp the content of the story (story about whom, context, main events, development of the event, how it ends, meanings of the story, ) Along with the literary movements appearing continuously, which brought forth new asthetic experiences and readjusted the old art experiences, the concept of "narrative" also embraced new connotations The concept of "narrative" needs to be expanded: besides the "discourse" and "story", it is necessary to think of "untellable stories", which means events or dialogues presented as "a floating representation" The method of narrative is a concept that describes how the writers practice their writings It is considered to be one of the expressive methods that reflect the common kernel of an artistic thinking of a literary movement, a trend or a set of universal expressions In each specific case, the narrative method will be individualized, concretized or personalized with distinguished traits, which are often called the art of narrative Therefore, the art of narrative expresses personal imprint, associated with the author's style Our thesis still uses the concept of "narrative" due to its familiarity and universality, but in dealing with the topic of this research, we would still include the extended connotations of narratology, that means we pay attention to not only the "story" told in a traditional way (with the beginning, the end, the event, the character) and the stories which are disjointed, chaos, intentionally incoherent, like a bunch of events presented freely This means the "free manifestation" is also a kind of unordered order We will apply basic aspects of narratology in order to illuminate an important change in Vietnam's fictional prose from 1986 to the present which are fundamental innovations in narrative method The essential elements of narrative are ultimately stories (events, events, narrators (viewpoints), narrative methods From our point of view, the undersurface principles which dominate the narrative structure always lie in the depth of literary thought as a sense of reality, a conception of the functional nature of literature, of the relationship between writers and readers With the name The innovations in narrative methods in contemporary Viet Nam fiction prose, this thesis will mainly survey the outstanding features in the innovation of narrative methods such as realistic picture, point of view, characterisation, genre governing and some writing techniques 1.2 The status quo of research on narrative method in contemporary Vietnamese fictional prose The innovation of the narrative method is a matter of great concern to domestic literary critics Between 1975 and 1990, the most pronounced transformation in literary writing in general was the infusion of worldly matters into epic stories Therefore, critics focus on the story, giving first attention to the innovation of the realistic observation expressed in the work of the writer Much of the critics' opinions like Dang Quoc Nhat, Tran Dang Tuyen, Phan Cu De, Lai Nguyen An still move toward that direction In addition, there have been some studies that began to pay more attention to the narrative innovation, mainly revolving around the literary works in the 80s by Nguyen Minh Chau, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Pham Thi Hoai Although it was not the main stream in the critics circle, but many researchers have felt a different motion in the fiction which is the effort to renew the writing style From the early 90s onwards, the trend of contentdirected researches is still continuing however studies that are interested in the new writing style have conveyed a strong impression, provoking arguments Opinions by Lai Nguyen An, La Nguyen, Dang Anh Dao, Nguyen Ngoc, Tran Dao, Thuy Khue, Phung Van Tuu, Pham Xuan Nguyen, Hoang Ngoc Hien, Nguyen Thanh Son, Vuong Tri Nhan, Nguyen Van Long tried to grasp the trend of innovation in writing and led to many discoveries as well as new and interesting interpretations Nguyen Thi Binh's Vietnamese prose after 1975 considered the innovations of artistic prose from 1975-1995 on three perspectives: the notion of writers, artistic conceptions of people and signs of genre innovation In researches on Vietnamese prose after 1975, we found that most of them mentioned the reform of the narrative method at different magnitudes Some thesis (by Bui Thanh Truyen, Nguyen Van Thuan, Do Hai Ninh, Nguyen Thi Thu, Mai Hai Oanh, Tran Thi Mai Nhan, Tran Viet Thien, Phung Gia The, Nguyen Thi Hai Phuong, Thai Phan Vang Anh ) have studied the artistic innovations of fictional prose in this period in terms of: art of characterisation, time governing, diversification of structural arts, genre interactions in prose, the use of mythicization, magical elements, parody Thus, when we consider different approaches, at different magnitudes, different names, there have been a few projects mentioning the reform of narrative However, no specialized works have carried on a systematic survey to reveal thoroughly the innovation in the narrative method focusing the way of dealing with the text, narrative point of view, narrative forms, narrative models Our thesis will reproduce, systematize and analyze more thoroughly the innovation of literary thinking through the outstanding aspects of the narrative method in contemporary fictional prose CHAPTER THE DESIRE FOR DEMOCRACY AND THE DIVERSIFICATION OF NARRATIVE METHODS 2.1 Historical - social premises and the need to release creativity in order to unfold the potential of narrative 2.1.1 Historical - social premise The renovation since the mid-1980s has formed an extremely favorable environment for artists Rising democratic spirit, open cultural exchanges, more cultural and literary management policies have encouraged creativity and led writers and artists to more experimental works Democratization means that people are allowed to exercise the rights defined by the Constitution, that the aspirations of the people are respected, the equality of opinions is achieved, oppressions and monopoly of truth are irradicated The market economy not only gave prominence to the autonomy and dynamic role of individuals but once again reincarnated the notion of "literature - goods" before 1945 to replace the notion of "literature weapons" Literature must pay more attention to the needs and tastes of the readers, must respect the popular culture and accept competition with many other interesting entertaining activities Art and literature shifted from revolving around the historical-national "us", the collective us, to a focus on personal self, from the purpose of conveying political propagandas about revolutionary morality, living ideals to not overlooking both the needs of entertainment, relaxation, relieving stress, etc The way the Party ruled art and literature in the new period changed drastically Most notably, the adopted Resolution 05 on Culture and Art has greatly encouraged the freedom of artists “The Party encourages artists to explore creatively, encourages and demands daring experiences in artistic creation.” Cultural, literary exchanges are paid attention to International integration has helped to regulate and accelerate the process of modernizing national literature on many aspects, most notably the opportunity to absorb and utilize many philosophical ideas and modern art experiences all over the world The development of mass media has also triggered a boom in popular culture Cinema, television, video, internet, cameras, video games, karaoke all tend to promote entertainment functions The aestheticalization of daily life and worldlization of aesthetic activities are strongly reflected in literature And according to our observation, it is also the prominent feature of contemporary Vietnamese prose 2.1.2 Liberate personality and nurture the potential of narrative Innovating artistic thinking and liberating the creative personality of writers is the need for Vietnamese literature itself Many writers have expressed their desire to innovate literature from their own experiences Nguyen Ngoc said: “I need to find another artistic language Around me, and even inside me, there were so many changes which are not simple, not small Must write differently " Nguyen Khai also became aware that: “From 1955 to 1977 I wrote in a specific way From 1978 to now, I have written in another way” Carrying a common mindset with other writers of the same generation, Le Luu also called his works before The Far Away Time "literature - work", "literature - mission" and "cannot write like that anymore" Nguyen Khac Truong also claimed that, "I want every book to discover, to point out something in the deep, spiritual part of life, of people." Many other writers not speak directly but their notions of innovation were reflected through art works which showed they have changed The changes of literary thinking of the writer who once won glory in the previous period were firstly showed in the change of topics, the way they approached reality The compositions of To Hoai, Nguyen Khac Truong, Ma Van Khang, present a rural reality with intense disturbances, ups and downs, serious cultural traumas after land reform and war Writing about the war, after 1975, the works of Nguyen Trong Oanh, Nguyen Minh Chau, Chu Lai, depicted a picture of harsh reality which loaded with questions Behind that realistic presentation is a serious attemp to deal with the traditional way of representing reality It expresses the aspiration of writers to have their own voice, to be free to investigate the reality The way writers dealed with historical topics in the period after 1986 has triggered an important turning point in the concept of genre The writer no longer simply recorded the history, but they created their own history Nguyen Mong Giac believes that historical fiction must be a fiction first Vo Thi Hao said that "my problem is innovation and conservatism, not recounting history" Nguyen Xuan Khanh emphasized: "I think that historical fiction is not a recount of history but a reflection of nowadays problems." With that in mind, historical prose works only borrow historical materials as background or atmosphere for the writer to show their own ideas 10 For young writers, the aspirations to renew, to differentiate seem to be the starting point of their careers as writers Pham Thi Hoai said that "writing as a conduct"; Nguyen Viet Ha is well aware that “repeated literature is as scary as bland literature"; Nguyen Huy Thiep constantly shook old believes about literature It can be said that in the desire to renew literature, the most obvious breaking change in writers is the concept of literature as a game The dynamic process of cognition and experimentation has gradually formed a new generation of writers typical for the process of innovation of narrative In contemporary prose we can clearly see the two main trends of innovation: / Write about the truth of life and human destiny with the loss and pain in a humane way, from extrovert to introvert, explore and experience the inner world which is rich, diverse, complex, mysterious but also very fragile 2/use people and the living environment as a starting point to put efforts into reforming writing style In this case, reality or people can become a vehicle for the experiment of narrative art: the playfulness is highly regarded, writers and readers meet in "the game of storytelling", "the game of characters ","the game of language","the game of structures " One one hand, focusing on narrate technique would possibly create breakthroughs, help contemporary literature surpass the traditional rules; on the other hand, it will be difficult to avoid the the raw, crude, awkward reality Along with the atmosphere of innovation, the literature of overseas Vietnamese also has many interactions with the domestic literature, contributing to the expansion of the borders of national literature and providing new aesthetic experience 2.2 Diversify narrative methods: the efforts to democratize art and literature 2.2.1 Objective-credible narration We can recognize the form of traditional narrative (appreciate the content, promote the credibility, the seriousness of the story, maintain the 11 coherent continuity in causal relation) is still the form chosen by the majority of writers By the end of the twentieth century, this form still dominates compared to some sporadic cases that seem to be experimenting with other narrative methods (Pham Thi Hoai, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Pham Hai Van, Bao Ninh ) What is worth noting is that even the traditional works showed the effort to expand and revew the familiar narrative framework, reflected in the more casual attitude of the narrator and especially through the hesitating, ambiguous point of view This view also shows a major shift in the writer-reader relationship: the writer no longer confidently teaches reader and boasts about the truth, but now moves towards meditations; shows more respect to readers, not just focus on telling and providing forced judgments The common point of this kind of narrative is the storyteller is always cautious about what he is telling The narrator always feels that there are truths beyond what he knows From the omniscent outlook of the traditional narrative to the ambiguous and hesitating point of view, the need to meditating upon the reality of the writer has become more visible By creating this new outlook, literature begins to assert an equal and democratic relationship with readers We call this a way to renew the narrative method on a traditional basis 2.2.2 Subjective – uncreditable narrative 2.2.2.1 Story: reality that does not require verification The uncredibility is understood as a result of critical thinking It reflects the transitions in the writer's outlook, in his notion of the subject, the reader and the literature itself Uncreditable narrative, therefore, tells a story but does not require readers to believe that it is true (Nguyen Cong Hoan generalized "story is fabrication which seems to be true") Uncreditable narrative is an agreement between writers (game orperator) and readers (player) that the stories mentioned are not to be compared with the real life out there It may be credible in details, in specific situations, but the writer openly admits that the whole picture of reality is completely 12 fabricated The direct or indirect opinions of the writer, the doubtful detail interwoven in the work, the distortion, exaggeration, the most unpredictable circumstances, the caricatured characters all aim to disrupt the reader with the story being told, constantly reminding them that they are watching the writer's game 2.2.2.2 The unreliable narrator's point of view Based on the narrator's confidence, we generalize the following types of points of view: The narrator is limited to an individual who may be inferior, occasionally lighthearted, but most of the time always skeptical of life, always wants to oppose the major opinion By constructing such a point of view, the narrator seems to refuse to assert the accuracy of the story, making the story an anecdote that provokes the curiosity of the reader It is a way to encourage reader to think, and also a requirement for writers who have to hold dialogue continuously, to question themselves seriously The point of view of the extraordinary characters has contributed to the diversity of narrative methods It shows that reality is not the ultimate purpose of the literary work, but only a means for the writer to convey certain artistic messages With such aggressive and provocative point of view, the narrator's status is now equal to the character’s and the reader’s Looking at the character from a no longer omniscient point of view, the narrator openly expresses unreliable truth in the stories and leaves in his story aesthetic white spaces that force readers to discover and form a democratic dialogue Many contemporary prose compositions, along with uncreditable stories, possess multi-dimensional point of view Sometimes dialogue erases all boundaries, even readers can "jump" into discussion and argue Every narrator opens up a world that forces readers to change their reading Readers find it hard to keep the coherence of the plot The intention is to let 13 readers understand "every little story" in a big story that the narrator still consider as the main plot Of course, online storytellers can only be born with the rise of the internet There is no longer an omnisient narrator or a point of view that dominates others Reading novels is similar to watching a movie, hearing the voices of life resound simultaneously That will be uncomfortable for traditional readers but full of excitement and at least it opens up the potential of narrative methods CONCLUSION: Thus, the limited, aggressive, provocative point of view, along with stories that not require verification, always remind readers of the finite of human and the chaos of life From this narrative, especially with the unreliable narrator, a new relationship, an equal relation which is democratic and rich in dialogue is established between writers and readers Readers are entitled to doubt, to be able to argue and discover the truth by themselves CHAPTER THE EFFORTS TO RENEW THE NOTION OF LITERARY CHARACTER Capable of exploring human fate, characters in prose are the most important manifestation of the notion of human The construction of the world of characters, from a certain angle, allows us to recognize the characteristics of the narrative technique of an era In the world of Vietnamese fictional prose from the mid-80s to the present, we are particularly interested in the appearance of non-idealistic characters and characters who deny typification 3.1 Idealless character 3.1.1 Complex, multifaceted character With a multidimensional notion of human being, the world of characters in fictional prose after 1986 has changed a lot It has 14 increasingly departed away from the ideal human being In some works by Nguyen Minh Chau, Nguyen Khai, Ma Van Khang, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Ho Anh Thai, Phan Thi Vang Anh, Nguyen Thi Thu Hue there are many individual characters The characters who were once honored as "gods" are now also normalized From ordinary characters to famous historical figures all appear with multi-faceted, intertwined personalities between good and bad, noble and vile The de-idealization of the character is really an important sign of innovation in the notion of the character of contemporary Vietnamese prose We could observe the fundamental innovations in the artistic thinking of contemporary writers 3.1.2 Small, lonely character Instead of letting ideal characters possess the best qualities, now writer pays attention to the private life, the ordinary life, multifaceted characters who are inclined towards the worldliness Among them are the small, lonely characters The most common manifestation of this type of small character is that they are mainly located in personal relationships, individual fate in the daily life (Côi cút cảnh đời, Miền hoang tưởng, Mưa nhã Nam, Nghĩa địa xóm Chùa, Tiền định, Bi kịch nhỏ, Khi người ta trẻ, Cát đợi, Lão Khổ, Cánh đồng bất tận, ) The small, lonely character is common in contemporary Vietnamese writing Behind each character is the problem of life From the perspective of narrative methods, paying attention to and successfully building this type of character is an important innovation of Vietnamese contemporary fiction: it is the proof of writers' efforts to innovate writing style in order to explore and reflect comprehensively and deeply the humanistic issues of life 3.2 Characters denying the typification 3.2.1 Mystical, shapeless characters This is one of the most notorious "separatist" from the tradition of "typical characters in typical circumstances" This type of character is associated with the concept of multi-dimensional reality, of the mystery, the 15 sacred, the grotesque of life Appearing in the work as literary technique, mystical characters can pose serious, important aesthetics issues as well as the reality that realistic characters find it difficult to approach The unrealistic characters of Vietnamese prose during the renovation are often present in several major forms: the characters of the resurrected myths and fairy tale; miraculous characters / prophetic characters; ghost character; deformed / anomalous characters In modern life, man in his most rational moment realizes that life also includes so many mysteries that need to be interpreted and discovered Sometimes it is impossible to use reality to explain reality, to use pure rationality to explain everything This type of character undertook that task and it had fulfilled its duty 3.2.2 Formulated characters who are erased, deleted Different from poetics of the 1945-1975 period, the act of formulating characters in contemporary prose deliberately exposes incredibility and playfulness Characters are so simplified that they are pure formulas, yet they show the complexity of reality and the limits of writer's expression Moreover, the creation of formulated characters in contemporary literature is mostly to parody, to ridicule It’s also a warning of the simplification of human being, the lost of the original, being eroded in a society is dominated by technocratic civilization The common technique of building formulated characters is to decompose the character, turn the character identity into unfinished puzzle pieces which is "not the multi-faceted nature of the “I” but the “eradication” of character, which means that the character is divided into various pieces which we cannot easily assemble and rebuild " We no longer pay attention to character’s appearance, personality, and fate Readers see them through ephemeral moments, fragments of consciousness Appearing with a psychological state, the non-seamless nature of the evocative character leads to a disturbed, broken, insecure, undirected reality (In our opinion, this is the most significant change in 16 dealing with the characters in contemporary fiction) Not only being simplified in quantity, the character is also erased of personality and becomes a meaningless presence From formulating to erasing personality technique, it is obvious that the concept of characters in prose nowadays is very different from traditional one Many works in the late 20th century until now deliberately bleached characters (erasing names, ages, diluting and eliminating psychological factors, personality, appearance, occupation, family circumstances deliberately ignored, the border of the identity is also lost or faint Writers seem to express their new attitudes towards the communication with readers The technique of vagueness or the deletion of character feature, on one hand makes the literary work shrink, but on the other hand, more importantly, the character needs only a certain psychological feature, a particular behavior in order to refer to universal humane conditions CONCLUSION: The return of the individual in a multi-perspective view of contemporary literary writing has offered writers a grand space for imagination, meditation and experiment Writers are now able to access new experiences to unleash their creativity Being creative, writers have provided reader a rich and unprecedented character world In addition to the fantasy character, contemporary prose formulated characters are not a repetition of a technique, but it contains a new dimension, new thought and new art It reflects a mind in the age of technocracy which is eroding, hardening, erasing the personality and identity of human being It is openly opposed to framed character of a rather cramped conception of "reflecting reality" that Vietnamese literature has been obeying for more than 30 years 17 CHAPTER 4: RENEWING NOTION OF GENRE AND THE PRACTICE OF TECHNOLOGY-AFFECTED TECHNIQUES 4.1 Hybrid experiment, renewed genres Genre is a well-defined "frame" in both writer’s and reader’s mindset, including several inherent characteristics to distinguish different kinds of relationship between literature and life After many generations, narrative has shaped quite fixed frameworks for novels, short stories, autobiography, detective, adventure From different approaches, a number of studies has focused on investigating the looseness of the notion of genre in the prose writing after 1975 It can be seen that the development of genre in contemporary prose takes place with several elements We pay more attention to the hybrid tendency which has deformed genre because it represents most clearly the incredibility of narrative, and reveals the playful nature of literary work, therefore liberates literature from the burdens that it is forced to carry Writers often use some basic elements from the familiar genre frame and hybridize it with other genres, distorting the original genre, sometimes mocking, parodying the original genre in order to present a literary work that no longer fits into the traditional genre We re-use the concept that some researchers used to refer to genre hybridization and distortion 4.1.1 Pseudo-history From short stories by Nguyen Huy Thiep which evoked fierce debates, the pseudo-history narrative has become more and more diversified with the works of Vo Thi Hao, Nguyen Quang Than, Nguyen Mong Giac, Nguyen Xuan Khanh, Hoa Vang and Le Minh Ha, Uong Trieu, Luu Son Minh Utilizing densely material from history with specific events, people, time, and space, these works not intent to reproduce objective history such as previous historical stories, but they aim at constructing fictional situations, different possibilities assumed by the 18 author The author uses historical events and characters, bases on both official and unofficial history to project a modern outlook Thus, the story encourages dialogue as much as possible Characters in these works are often famous figures in history, which means they have fixed status in community consciousness They are "transfused", molded in daily relationships, which forces readers to become familiar with the multiperspective view of things The writer writes about history not to recreate, to restore history, but to observe the relationship between the past and the present To recall the past tragedies from the perspective of the present is also to discover spiritual values, as well as cultural sources and conduct The writers desire to contribute an opinion, arousing in readers the need of self-questioning, positive criticism, to propose a solution to the future of Vietnam 4.1.2 Detective parody Detective is a genre with a very simple plot, that is, a crime, a detective looking for the truth, thrilling details, an enigma solved thank to the detective’s talents In the world, detective fiction is considered to be the most typical of rational literature, a genre in which the crime is identified primarily based on deductive methods, a method that requires mental efforts in solving the crime In Vietnamese contemporary prose there are many works using detective motifs in the parody manner In some contemporary novels such as T.mất tích, Đi tìm nhân vật, Và tro bụi, we can see the mixture of detective stories with stream-of-consciousness novel: the plot starts with a crime, then the detective The character leads reader into a labyrinth of existential and confused arguments over the human conditions and eventually forgets his/her mission Characters are often constructed complicatedly Each character is a complex, multi-personality being Though most of them are still experimental, their contributions in many aspects like theme, plot, characters, and writing style are undeniable 19 The attempt to experiment with new forms has not only begun with the creative desire of writers but also by the demands of the era, pressured by the reader 4.1.3 Pseudo-autobiography Autobiography is self-written account of writer’s life Unlike the curriculum vitae of a writer, autobiography is where the past reborn, and the writer's life serves only as material that the author uses for different purposes The fixed feature of autobiography is that the author retells his life, implicitly assures the credibility of the story In contemporary Vietnamese literature, many works seem to be autobiographical, although they are actually fiction In Gia đình bé mọn, Ngược dòng nước lũ, Tự 265 ngày, Chinatown, Và tro bụi, Rong chơi miền ức…., the autobiographical element is used in combination with fiction to construct an unrealistic world which distracts readers On the surface we have many real details (name, biography), but the story is fictional, fabricated Here, the author, the storyteller and the main character can be identical The content tends to go beyond the boundaries of the confessing narrator to become a mixture containing lives, fates By engaging in the dialogue, autobiographical authors have increased the number of narrators and been ready to leave each character to his own point of view, regardless of main / sub, good / bad characters, so that each character can present life in a unique way The narrator "I" is not the only "I": there are other "I"s – that means the narrator imagines his status, his mentality, his emotions, in shorts the context of the story The use of autobiographical elements both stimulates curiosity and distracts the gullible readers It is a game which destroys the distinctive boundary between reality and fiction, a powerful attack on the crude reflection of the reality, a denial of the traditional narrative 4.1.4 Demythologisation Myth is also a narrative form restructured by many contemporary writers The most prominent trend is to demythologize the legends This is 20 how we call the literary works rewriting and demythologizing the serious myths by mixing them with laughter and mock elements The incorporating of legendary elements into art works is quite common in literature However, from 1986 up to now, the desire to bring the myth into the literary works has become more and more powerful in many authors The use of mythology in literary writing has created a postmodern technique Borrowing from legends or creating new legends, perhaps the ultimate intention of writer is to change the notion of reality in literature The old legends and myths were reborn when they were weaved with the life-embedded details of today: the legend of saint Giong in Giong, the legend of Tam Cam in the Ngày xưa, cô Tấm (Lê Minh Hà), Nhân sứ, Sự tích những ngày đẹp trời (Hòa Vang), Trương Chi, Những truyện kể thung lũng Hua Tát (Nguyễn Huy Thiệp), Đường Tăng (Trương Quốc Dũng)… The form is still identical with the ancient myths yet the variation of the story lies in the new connotations, in powerful parables Người đàn bà Âu Lạc (Vo Thi Hao) compared the burden on her shoulder with Au Co’s Truong Chi in Nguyen Huy Thiep’s story is particularly sensitive to blinding masses, and Truong Chi of Le Minh Ha is exceptional poor, for whom readers feel sympathy Familiar figures of folklore have been modified to exist vividly In Mình họ (Nguyen Binh Phuong), the myths are combined with the horror and grotesque as well as historical detail to form a unique plot Because it is associated with a sense of mocking and skepticism, the playfulness is often identified as the mark of postmodern literature It plays an important role in postmodern writing Demythologizing is also a free play of writing, which is enough to create a new kind of narrative method which is different from the traditional credibility-based narrative 4.2 Literary techniques affected by technology The organization of documents is of great importance with writers In contemporary literature, the interference of literature with other arts and 21 cultural activities, as we have affirmed, is extremely important Assembling, collaging are common techniques in cinema This kind of visual art has the advantage of representing the co-exist space and time Many writers have utilized it to renew their narrative structures 4.2.1 Collaging, stacking the texts In some studies, terms such as "fragment", "fragmentation", "coexistence" and "assemblage" have been used to refer to the practice of representing the plot and the mental development of character, especially the stream of consciousness In Vietnam, since the mid-1980s, the "stream of consciousness" writing has appeared in many distinguished novels in which we could realize a disturbance of plot order, even erasing the plot and creating a "discrete", "patchy" structure "bounded" by the complex, mysterious mental life of human being Reading novels by Nguyen Binh Phuong, Ta Duy Anh, Ho Anh Thai, Thuan and recently Vu Xuan Tuu, Nguyen Mot, Thuy Duong, Tien Dat, Do Phan readers are quite confused, even bewildered in the narrative now similar to a labyrinth due to the assembly string created by the author The work contains fragments of vague memories, dreamlike thoughts, sorrows about the past The past, the present are disordered, interwoven, and they cause both gaps, illogicality, and unity in referring to a sense of anxiety before a crumbling, chaotic reality The assemblage also exists in the hybridization of genre forms Thiên sứ of Pham Thi Hoai and Trí nhớ suy tàn of Nguyen Binh Phuong are mixtures of novel and play, poetry, diary Many other writers have explored and sharpened the intertextuality in their writing by stacking puzzle pieces as an important factor in the narrative structure We can mention the unique and diverse experimental writings of Thuận, Nguyễn Một, Hồ Anh Thái, Vũ Đình Giang, Vũ Xuân Tửu, Đặng Thân The assemblage deliberately eradicates logic and order supposedly established between narrative pieces, allows them to exist independently 22 side by side The plot advances no longer by conflicts, but rather by its internal structure: Disassembly creates numerous possibilities and situations with flexible juxtaposition Plot is dissolved into fragments, rupture, establishing a significant mechanism different from the common model in the traditional realist writing It destroyed the transparence of the order of the events The meaning of the story will be generated from reassembling and interpreting story fragments with endless possibilities 4.2.2 Keyboard technique Keyboard technique is a remarkable presentation of text It is the experimental literature in the age of internet and mass media Keyboard technique means the author creates a text as if it is happening Clicking on a certain keyword will reveal a new paragraph in a different font, therefore the reader will access new content that seems to bear no relation to the main plot but it is infact an extension of the story which expands the meaning of the story (Rong chơi miền ký ức) Sometimes, a detail or part of a narrative text is presented as a comment box of social network Commenters may have real names or nicknames There is even a "Your opinion" section as an invitation for interaction and dialogue These narrative methods have formed a kind of interactive narrative Although they are still new, they demonstrate a unique direction in the effort to renew contemporary narrative CONCLUSION: It can be seen that breaking the traditional conception of the genre and using technology-affected techniques clearly reflects literature in the age of internet and mass media Literary works now become "compressed files" of different types of documents Writers have the right to recycle the random materials within their reach to express their thoughts at that very moment It could be a piece of news, a meeting minutes, letter, bill, traffic sign, etc The reader is involved in the creation of the work which nurtures numerous potential meanings depending on the memory and personal experience of each reader 23 CONCLUSION Through various stages of development, narration is demonstrating its advantages and potentials in discovering the nature of the era and reproducing the reality objectively The narrative method is not simply form, technique, but it also includes elements of literary thinking such as the notion of reality, conception of the nature and function of literature, and how to construct narrative texts From the mid-80s of the twentieth century, in the context of globalization, along with the Party's comprehensive renovation, with the political, economic, social and cultural conditions and especially fully enlightened writers, Vietnamese prose has witness a fundamental transition in the narrative method Writers shift their attention from the content to the way "the story" is told Along with the effort to reform the traditional style based on credibility, many writers have turned to unreliable narrative, showing a radical change in writer's consciousness about the object, the subject, the reader and the literature itself Inevitably, the writer's desire for dialogue and for the democratisation of literature dominated and led to profound innovations in characters and genres during this period The types of small, lonely, idealless characters or characters who reject the typicalization such as fantasy characters, formulated characters, bleached characters, and non-human characters appear more and more Arguing with the traditional round, on-sided character; or break the cramped framework of "typical characters in a typical situation”; or approach the character of modern world literature, these types of characters demonstrate the writer's effort in fostering innovation in writing, which helps change the traditional reading and move towards a new cognition of reality as well as answer the increasing demand for democratic dialogue in literature and society Hybrid experiments which renew genres are also an achievement in the innovation of narrative method From the change in the perception of 24 life, new forms of narrative have emerged such as pseudo-history, detective parody, pseudo-autobiography and demythicalization The birth of new genres has not only satisfied the need to capture, explore and express the chaotic reality, but also affirm the unique creative personality and the writer’s effort to overcome obstacles Technology-affected echniques such as collage, assemblage, stacking, and "keyboard techniques" are frequently used and constantly expanded, experimented by each author in his/her works It is truly a remarkable creation of writers in the field of narrative In the restropect of three decades of innovation, it can be said that Vietnamese fictional prose from the mid-80s of the twentieth century has created its own achievments on the narrative method It is these persistent and enthusiastic innovations that have contributed significantly to the achievement of prose in particular and literature in general However, exploration, experimentation, and innovation are difficult to avoid limitations and shortcomings that time would purify to bring forth great literary works which would enrich the national culture./  ... Thiep, Bao Ninh, Ta Duy Anh, Ho Anh Thai, Nguyen Thi Thu Hue, Phan Thi Vang Anh, Nguyen Binh Phuong, Nguyen Viet Ha, Chau Dien, Doan Minh Phuong, Phan Viet, Thuan, Nguyen Danh Lam, Thuy Duong, Nguyen... with the name "Innovation in narrative methods in contemporary Viet Nam fiction prose", choose to study this problem with the desire to capture and describe the breakthrough of Vietnamese prose... conveyed a strong impression, provoking arguments Opinions by Lai Nguyen An, La Nguyen, Dang Anh Dao, Nguyen Ngoc, Tran Dao, Thuy Khue, Phung Van Tuu, Pham Xuan Nguyen, Hoang Ngoc Hien, Nguyen Thanh