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Sepha
Sepha (, ) is a genre of Thai poetic storytelling that had its origins in the performances of troubadours who stylized recitations were accompanied by two small clappers, sticks of wood (called in Thai '' krap sepha'' and in Khmer ''Krap chmol'') to give rhythm and emphasis. The etymology of the word ''sepha'' is disputed. Origins The sepha genre was developed by troubadours who recited episodes for local audiences, and passed on stories by word-of-mouth. By the eighteenth century, such performances had become the most popular form of entertainment in Siam. The troubadours told the story in stylized recitation, using two small sticks of wood (krap) to give rhythm and emphasis. The performances typically lasted a full night. This genre later became known as sepha. Etymology The origin of the term ''Sepha'' is disputed. There is a musical form of the same name, but this seems unconnected. Kukrit Pramoj thought that sepha meant a jail and that the genre was developed by con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khun Chang Khun Phaen
''Khun Chang Khun Phaen'' (, ) is a long Thai epic poem which originated from a legend of Thai folklore and is one of the most notable works in Thai literature. The work's entire length is over 20,000 couplets. Khun Chang and Khun Phaen are the leading male characters, where " Khun" was a junior feudal title given for male commoners. The story recounts the adventurous and amorous struggles of the three main protagonists. Much of their relationship can be described as a love triangle. Khun Phaen (dashing but poor) and Khun Chang (rich but ugly) compete for the lovely Wanthong from childhood for over fifty years. Their stories transpire amid the larger backdrop of national events, including two wars, several abductions, a suspected revolt, an idyllic sojourn in the forest, two court cases, trial by ordeal, jail, and treachery. Ultimately the King of Ayutthaya condemns Wanthong to death for failing to choose between the two men. The KCKP epic existed for a long time as an orally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sepha Khun Chang Khun Phaen
''Khun Chang Khun Phaen'' (, ) is a long Thai epic poem which originated from a legend of Thai folklore and is one of the most notable works in Thai literature. The work's entire length is over 20,000 couplets. Khun Chang and Khun Phaen are the leading male characters, where "Khun" was a junior feudal title given for male commoners. The story recounts the adventurous and amorous struggles of the three main protagonists. Much of their relationship can be described as a love triangle. Khun Phaen (dashing but poor) and Khun Chang (rich but ugly) compete for the lovely Wanthong from childhood for over fifty years. Their stories transpire amid the larger backdrop of national events, including two wars, several abductions, a suspected revolt, an idyllic sojourn in the forest, two court cases, trial by ordeal, jail, and treachery. Ultimately the King of Ayutthaya condemns Wanthong to death for failing to choose between the two men. The KCKP epic existed for a long time as an orally tran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kukrit Pramoj
Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj (, , ; 20 April 1911 – 9 October 1995) was a Thai politician, author, scholar and professor. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand between 1973 and 1974. He was the thirteenth Prime Minister of Thailand, serving in office from 1975 to 1976 between his brother Seni Pramoj's terms. Being the great-grandson of King Rama II of Siam, Rama II, he was a member of the Thai royal family. He also portrayed the Prime Minister of the fictional country of Sarkhan in the 1963 motion picture ''The Ugly American (film), The Ugly American'' with Marlon Brando. Biography He was born on 20 April 1911 in Sing Buri Province into a cadet branch of the Chakri Dynasty with Chinese ancestry. The son of Brigadier General Prince Khamrob and his wife Daeng (Bunnag), his older brother was M.R. Seni Pramoj while his great-grandmother, Ampha, was of Chinese descent and was a consort of Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, Rama II. He served as a corporal during the Fran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epic Poetry
In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to oral tradition, epic poems consist of formal speech and are usually learnt word for word, and are contrasted with narratives that consist of everyday speech where the performer has the license to recontextualize the story to a particular audience, often to a younger generation. Influential epics that have shaped Western literature and culture include Homer's ''Iliad'' and '' Odyssey''; Virgil's '' Aeneid''; and the anonymous '' Beowulf'' and '' Epic of Gilgamesh''. The genre has inspired the adjective '' epic'' as well as derivative works in other mediums (such as epic films) that evoke or emulate the characteristics of epics. Etymology The English word ''epic'' comes from Latin , which itself comes from the Ancient Greek adject ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Journal Of The Siam Society
The ''Journal of the Siam Society'' (JSS) is a scholarly journal published by the Siam Society in Bangkok since 1904. History The ''Journal of the Siam Society'' is published by Siam Society, The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage in Bangkok, Thailand. At the foundation of the society in 1904, the journal was launched to fulfil the society's purpose: The objects of the Society shall be the investigation and encouragement of Art, Science and Literature in relation to Siam and neighbouring countries…. For this purpose the Society will convene meetings, at which papers bearing on the objects for which the Society is formed will be read, or lectures given…. Such papers shall, if they are accepted by the Council, be published in a Journal, and the authors of them may, by permission of the Council, republish them in a separate form. The first issue of the journal, dated 1904, appeared in August 1905. Publication has been continuous ever since, missing a few issues, particularly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rama IV
Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization initiatives and diplomatic engagements, which played pivotal roles in shaping Thailand's trajectory towards progress and international relations. Siam first felt the pressure of Western expansionism during Mongkut's reign. Mongkut embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of his country, both in technology and culture—earning him the nickname "The Father of Science and Technology" in Siam. Mongkut was also known for appointing his younger brother, Prince Chutamani, as Second King, crowned in 1851 as King Pinklao. Mongkut told the country that Pinklao should be respected with equal honor to himself (as King Naresuan had done with his brother Ekathotsarot in 1583). During Mongkut's reign, the power of the House of Bunnag reached its zenith: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion, diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age#South Asia, Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a lingua franca, link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting effect on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Indo-Aryan languages# ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sujit Wongthet
Sujit Wongthes สุจิตต์ วงษ์เทศ (or Wongthet) (b. April 20 1945) is a Thai journalist and author. Biography He was born in Prachinburi province to a father of Phuan descent and a mother of Teochew Chinese descent. Wongthes attended Silpakorn University, graduating from the archaeology program there. During his time at university, he wrote for the student journal, ''Sangkhomsat Paritht'' (''Social Science Review''), in which he criticized excessive materialism and the Americanization of Thai culture; he wrote contemporaneously with Sulak Sivaraksa, who was the journal's editor at the time. He later wrote for ''Prachachat'', a newspaper associated with progressive elements of Thai society. After the military coup that toppled the Seni Pramoj administration, ''Prachachat'' was shut down. Three years later, Wongthes founded '' Sinlapa Watthanatham'', an arts and culture magazine, and served as the magazine's editor.Lysa, Hon"Twenty Years of Sinlapa W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Thailand
The first human settlements in Thailand have been traced to 100,000 years ago in the Paleolithic. Fossils of ''Lampang man'' shows Homo erectus, Homo Erectus people lived in Hat Pudai Village, Lampang province, Lampang circa 500,000 BCE. The oldest stone tools date to circa 600,000-800,000 years ago, at Ban Mae Tha in Lampang province. Mass migration of Tai peoples from China (Guangxi) to Mainland Southeast Asia and Northern Thailand occurred between the 8th-10th century. The Mainland Southeast Asia, Mainland region was ruled by the Khmer Empire since 900 CE. The Thai people, Thai established their own kingdoms: the semi-legendary Singhanavati Kingdom (691 BCE–638 CE) evolved into the Ngoenyang Kingdom (638–1292). In 1220, the Khmer controlled Sukhothai (city), Sukhothai was conquered by the Thai people, Thais and made the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom. By 1220, the long declining Khmer Empire was mostly overrun by Thais. By the 13th century, the Sukhothai Kingdom (1238 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thai Poetry
Poetry has been featured extensively in Thai literature, and constituted the near-exclusive majority of literary works up to the early Rattanakosin Kingdom, Rattanakosin period (early 19th century). Most of imaginative literary works in Thai, before the 19th century, were composed in poetry. Consequently, although many literary works were lost with the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thailand still has a great number of epic poems or long poetic tales -- some with original stories and some with stories drawn from foreign sources. The Siamese poetical medium consists of five main forms, known as ''khlong'', ''chan'', ''kap'', ''klon'' and ''rai''; some of these developed indigenously while others were borrowed from other languages. Thai poetry dates to the Sukhothai Kingdom, Sukhothai period (13th–14th centuries) and flourished under Ayutthaya Kingdom, Ayutthaya (14th–18th centuries), during which it developed into its current forms. Though many works were lost to the Burmese fall of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Troubadour
A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The troubadour school or tradition began in the late 11th century in Occitania, but it subsequently spread to the Italian and Iberian Peninsulas. Under the influence of the troubadours, related movements sprang up throughout Europe: the Minnesang in Germany, '' trovadorismo'' in Galicia and Portugal, and that of the trouvères in northern France. Dante Alighieri in his '' De vulgari eloquentia'' defined the troubadour lyric as ''fictio rethorica musicaque poita'': rhetorical, musical, and poetical fiction. After the "classical" period around the turn of the 13th century and a mid-century resurgence, the art of the troubadours declined in the 14th century and around the time of the Black Death (1348) and since died out. The texts of troubado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
