Background

 Thailand (previously known as Siam) is a

very diverse country topographically and
culturally.

 Buddhist-based society.

The Reclining Buddha -Ban

 Monarchy.

 Capital city is Bangkok.

Thai literature
 Thai literature
 is the literature of the Thai people, almost
exclusively written in the Thai
language (although different scripts other than
Thai may be used).
Most of imaginative literary works in Thai,
before the 19th century, were composed
in poetry.
 Prose was reserved for historical records,
chronicles, and legal documents.
Consequently, the poetical forms in the Thai
language are both numerous and highly
developed. The corpus of Thailand's pre-modern
poetic works is large.
 Thus, although many literary works were lost with
the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thailand still
possesses a large number of epic poems or long
poetic tales [some with original stories and some
with stories drawn from foreign sources.
 There is thus a sharp contrast between the
Thai literary tradition and that of other East
Asian literary traditions, such as Chinese and
Japanese, where long poetic tales are rare
and epic poems are almost non-existent.
 The Thai classical literature exerted a
considerable influence on the literature of
neighboring countries in mainland Southeast
Asia, especially Cambodia, Laos, and Burma.
Epic poem of Thao Hung or Thao Chueang
The greatest literary work to appear in any tai-languages
before the branching off of tai-speaking people into
separate nations is the Epic Poem of Thao Hung or
Cheuang (Thai: ท ้าวฮุ่งท ้าวเจือง).
The poetic form of Thao Cheuang is not found elsewhere
in Thai or Lao literature.
 It gives the most comprehensive account available of
the Tai civilization that is shared by the whole tai-speaking
world—stretching from eastern China, Northern Vietnam,
to Laos, Thailand, Burma, Yunnan and Assam.
Epic poem of Thao Hung or Thao Chueang
Unlike much of the extant literature of Thailand or Laos which
are closely modeled after Indic themes and stories, most
notably Ramayana, Thao Cheuang represents a wholly
Southeast Asian tradition.[With the length of 5,000 quatrains
of Khlong poetry, Thao Cheuang is much longer than the
contemporary French (Song of Roland) or English (Beowulf)
epics.
The story was originally told and passed on among the Khmu
people who speak Austroasiatic languages. In fact, the hero
of the epic Thao Cheuang, was a man of Austroasiatic origin,
probably of a Khom race.
 Ramakien

Most countries in Southeast Asia share an Indianised

culture.
 Thai literature was heavily influenced by the Indian
culture and Buddhist-Hindu ideology since the time it first
appeared in the 13th century.
Thailand's national epic is a version of
the Ramayana called the Ramakien, translated from
Sanskrit and rearranged into Siamese verses.
The importance of the Ramayana epic in Thailand is due
to the Thai's adoption of the Hindu religio-political ideology
of kingship, as embodied by the Lord Rama.
 The former Siamese capital, Ayutthaya, was named after
the holy city of Ayodhya, the city of Lord Rama. All Thai
kings have been referred to as "Rama" to the present day
The mythical tales and epic cycle
of Ramakien provide the Siamese with a rich and
perennial source for dramatic materials.
The royal court of Ayutthaya developed classical
dramatic forms of expression
called khon and lakhon.
 Ramakien played a great role in shaping these
dramatic arts.
During the Ayutthaya period, khon,
or a dramatized version of
Ramakien, was classified as lakhon
nai or a theatrical performance
reserved for aristocratic audiences.
A number of versions of the Ramakien epic were lost in
the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767. Three versions
currently exist. One of these was prepared under the
supervision (and partly written by) King Rama I. His
son, Rama II, rewrote some parts for khon drama. The
main differences from the original are an extended role
for the monkey god Hanuman and the addition of
a happy ending.
Literature of the Sukhothai Period
Literature of the Ayutthaya Period
Early Rattanakosin Period
Literature of the Sukhothai Period

The Thai alphabet emerged as an

independent writing system around 1283. One
of the first work composed in it was the
inscription of King Ram Khamhaeng (Thai: ศิลา
จารึกพ่อขุนรามคาแหง) or Ram Khamhaeng stele,
composed in 1292,[8] which serves both as the
King's biography and as the Kingdom's
chronicle.
 Literature of the Ayutthaya Period

One of the representative works of the early Ayutthaya period is Lilit

Ongkan Chaeng Nam (Thai: ลิลต ้ an incantation in verse
ิ โองการแช่งนา),
to be uttered before the gathering of courtiers, princes of foreign
land, and representatives of vassal states at the taking of the oath
of allegiance ceremony. It was a ritual to promote loyalty and
close domestic and foreign alliances
 Early Rattanakosin Period

With the arrival of the Rattanakosin era, Thai literature

experienced a rebirth of creative energy and reached its most
prolific period. The Rattanakosin era is characterized by the
imminent pressure to return to the literary perfection and to
recover important literary works lost during the war between
Ayutthaya and the Konbuang Empire.
A considerable poetic and creative energy of this period was
spent to revive or repair the national treasures which had been
lost or damaged following the fall of the old Capital.