• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.89-108
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• 2022

Using Peter Barry's conception of "outdoor environment" in discoursing nature and culture, this article analyzes images of the countryside in the short stories "Dưới bóng hoàng lan" ("In the Ylang-Ylang Shade") by Thạch Lam (Thach Lam) and "Антоновские яблоки" ("Antonov Apples") by Иван Бунин (Ivan Bunin). The two share portray the Eastern Lands, as may be seen in Vietnamese northern countryside and the East Slavic, Byzantine. The paper focuses on three aspects of the countryside-cultural values; traces of urban life and; the aspirations of people. The article aims to emphasize people's desire to return to a type of nature that bears traces and harmonizes with human cultures.