EMPRESS TỐNG THỊ LAN FROM HISTORICAL DISCOURSE TO LITERARY DISCOURSE: A CASE STUDY OF EMPRESS DOWAGER TỪ DỤ BY TRẦN THÙY MAI

Abstract

Empress Tống Thị Lan was the first empress associated with the founding of the Nguyễn dynasty and she has been represented in numerous literary works. This study employs Michel Foucault’s discourse theory to examine the representation of Empress Tống Thị Lan through a comparison of historical and literary discourses (with Trần Thùy Mai’s Empress Dowager Từ Dụ as a case study). The empress is approached as a “convergence point” of power in which historical discourse and literary discourse operate through different mechanisms. The research findings indicate that, while historical discourse functions as a mechanism for legitimising knowledge about women within the court power structure, literary discourse redistributes discursive authority, repositioning and restoring knowledge about the female subject that has been obscured in history. On this basis, several important issues concerning the position of women under the monarchical social system are brought into focus. This study also demonstrates the applicability of Foucault’s discourse theory to the study of contemporary Vietnamese historical novels.