Fiction and Philosophy in Novel Without a Name and the Disappeared

Abstract

While Duong Thu Hung’s Novel Without a Name (1995) describes the bloodshed in the jungles of central Vietnam towards the end of Vietnam War (1959-1975), Kim Echlin embarks her narrations in The Disappeared (2009), about a decade after the collapse of Pol Pot’s genocide (1975-1979)  in Cambodia. Philosophy however, is waved into fiction in order to add layers of depth and meaning to their narrations. Role of ideology and its effect on human life are among the major themes discussed by the authors. This study employs a close study of the above texts to discover the philosophical phrases used by the authors. It also illustrates how philosophy enhances meaning in fiction and contributes to its authenticity.