"Wound That Can't Be Bandaged": The Imperfect Translation of Women's Suffering in The Tale of Kieu and The Sorrow of War

Abstract

In my thesis, I compare and contrast the two figures of Kieu and Phong to divulge the unchanging patriarchal oppression experienced by women in Vietnam in the course of one and a half centuries despite a radical change of societal discourse from imperialism to communism. . . . conclude, therefore, that we must demand a new English version that is faithful to Bo Ninh's original text in order to give him credit for his critique of patriarchal Vietnamese culture, and his empathy for Vietnamese women.