Some more observation on Phan Van Hum's viewpoints of literary study

Abstract

Phan Van Hum (1902-1946) is considered one of the leading scholars in the South in the first half of the twentieth century. He is involved in many academic fields, such as philosophy, sociology, economics, psychology, medicine, religion, etc. in which the most prominent is literature, including composition, research, and criticism. In composing, he has the famous work “Ngồi tù Khám Lớn [Jailed in Khám Lớn]. In terms of research and criticism, he has published the works such as “Nỗi lòng Đồ Chiểu” [Sentiments of Đồ Chiểu], “Dở chồng báo cũ” [Open stack of old newspapers], and “Luận Tùng” [Discussion series]. In addition, he also has many articles published in newspapers/magazines in the period before 1945. From the overall observation, we realize that for literary activities, Phan Van Hum's works have a profound spirit of “humanity sake” and at the same time show a very dialectical perspective in understanding and interpreting issues. His works, whether they are compositions, researches or criticisms, have a combination of scientific knowledge as a fulcrum for perception and criticism. In addition, he is also very conscious in applying and disseminating knowledge of Western research methodology and criticism to scholars doing research in Vietnam. In our opinions, these things are of great value in the literary and academic context in Vietnam at that time. By the methods of systematic and interdisciplinary research, the article clarifies the characteristics and values of Phan Van Hum's literary activities for Vietnam’s literature in the first half of the twentieth century.