the author is again concerned about the "characteristics" and "origins" of
Vietnamese folk stories. The 5th edition of the five volumes in 1993 once
again helped to give the readers the right perspective[13]. The first 80
pages of Part one and 250 pages of Part two together make up a full
theoretical account of Vietnamese. This paper is an attempt to elaborate on
the author’s perspectives and theoretical approach and to present my
random observations which do not necessarily reflect the author’s main
lines of argument in the collection and treatment of the subject matter.
1. One of the highly controversial issues in the study of folk stories is their
identification. Nguyen Dong Chi proposes the following three criteria for
identifying folk stories: (i) antiquity in styles, (ii) ethnicity, (iii) high artistic
and moral values (Nguyen Dong Chi, Vol. 1: 65-72). Durand, in B.E.F.E.O.
journal (1964), commenting on the superficial treatment of the first
criterion, is highly skeptical about "the possibility of drawing a line
between antiquity and contemporary" and wonders whether "stories about
the Tu Duc times, Circa 1848 - 1883) can be classified as belonging to
"antiquity" or "contemporary"" (translated version, Vol. I: 495)[14]. It
seems that Durand somehow fails to fully appreciate Nguyen Dong Chi’s
perspectives. No doubt, the author had done elaborate research before
arriving at a rationale for the classification. Problems are inherent in
differentiating folk stories from closely related forms of folk narratives
such as legends, fables, and modern anecdotes. So what may be the
convincing criteria? Experiences show that neither the content nor the form
of the story alone could serve as reliable criteria considering the striking
similarities between the above-mentioned types, nor their function, since
legends, fables and modern anecdotes can be similar in function to folk
tales. Nguyen Dong Chi succeeds in getting round this problem by coming
up with the concept of levels of artistic value. The three criteria can be said
to be consistent and interdependent in that they provide for folk stories" to
