IMAGE OF WOMEN IN CONTEMPORARY VIETNAMESE CATHOLIC SHORT STORIES

Abstract

Within the current of national literature, there exists a body of writing that has been formed and developed for nearly four centuries – Catholic literature – yet it still remains a distant and unfamiliar world for the majority of readers. This article focuses on the study of female figures in contemporary Catholic short stories. Under the pens of Catholic writers, the image of women emerges in diverse shades and dimensions, contemplated as a mystery within the intersection of literature and religion. By examining several publications commemorating 400 years of Vietnamese Catholic literature, we aim to classify the typologies and conduct an interdisciplinary assessment of this unique literary figure. The article also draws upon Biblical thought and Christian aesthetics, where necessary, to provide deeper analysis of recurrent female archetypes. In doing so, it highlights the values and contributions of Catholic literature to contemporary Vietnamese literature.