Nguyen Thiep through the eyes of his contemporaries

Abstract

Confucianist Nguyen Thiep (1723-1804) was living in a dynamic and complicated period, from Le-Trinh period to Tay Sơn and Nguyễn Dynasty. This article studies Nguyen Thiep through the voices of contemporaries, in the exact biosphere of Nguyen Thiep's era. Concentrating on the role of works like Hạnh Am thi cảo written by Nguyen Thiep, Lê Quý dật sử written by Bui Dương Lịch, Vân nang tiểu sử written by Phạm Đình Dục and other ancient books like Gia phổ, Lê mat tiết nghĩa lục and Dã sử nhật ký, along with poems by Bui Huy Bich and others. By looking at the works from the Nguyen Thiep era, one can get a more accurate, multifaceted portrayal of a historical character.