The relationship between philosophy and literature : understanding love through Vietnamese short stories

Abstract

Most philosophical messages are conveyed through non-narrative methods such as concepts, arguments, articles, and treatises. These can sometimes be difficult to understand due to their abstract nature. Literature, which is the product of ordinary and concrete experience and imagination, can easily reach people through novels, poems, and short stories. This long essay will mainly explore the ways in which literature can convey philosophical thoughts about moral life through narratives and emotions. I will refer to Martha Nussbaum's essays to show how literary forms can contain philosophical content and foster each other. In this essay, I will examine this possible relationship between philosophy and literature, which are normally studied separately. This separation can be overcome, as Martha Nussbaum demonstrates through her essays on Love's Knowledge. This paper will also attempt to illustrate the topic of love through a discussion of Vietnamese short stories along with Nussbaum's discussion of love. This is to show that Vietnamese short stories could contribute to philosophy. To my knowledge, this is the first attempt at such a study.