5. Thailand Literature

Tai people

Thai literature officially begins with the __ who came into the region from southern China, and, as many believe, was originally written in Chinese.

Thao Hung or Cheuang

The first great work to appear, which was a detailed account of the Tai kingdom, and marks a departure from the tradition of following the styles of South Asia.

1238

What year did the Thai alphabet become a real concept?

Ram Khamhaeng stele

the first work composed with the Thai alphabet

Buddhism

featured as a prominent characteristic and context for many works composed at the beginning of this era (1238)

Lilit

a long form of poetry, one that utilizes different meters in different stanzas to speed or soften the story as it goes along.

Nirat

another form of epic poetry, one in which it was a farewell and longing towards someone who is no longer there

Rattanakosin era

During this era, Thai literature entered its golden age.

Rattanakosin era

During this era, the Burmese invaders often killed the poets of Siamese tradition, and during the time in which the kingdom was trying to recover its literary treasures, its people wanted poetry once again;

Prose writing

Older works were improved upon, and a eye shifted towards this type of literature, a newer form at the time in the Thai region

Fiction and short stories

Thai literature today’s focus

Minfong Ho

Author of the Winter Hibiscus

Minfong Ho

Her simple yet touching language and her optimistic themes have made her writing popular among children as well as young adults.

• student movement in Thailand in the 1970s

• the Cambodian refugee problem with the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s

Despite being fiction, Minfong Ho’s stories are always set against the backdrop of real events:

January 7, 1951

Birthdate of Minfong Ho

Minfong Ho

A Chinese-American writer whose works frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries.

The story primarily takes place in the United states on October, where Saeng and her family have recently relocated from Laos. Specific settings include:

• Saeng's neighborhood

• A florist shop

• Saeng's home and garden

Setting of The Winter Hibiscus

Saeng

The sixteen-year-old protagonist who recently moved to the United States from Vietnam with her family.

Mrs. Panouvong

Saeng's mother, who maintains a connection to their cultural roots and offers support and understanding to Saeng throughout the story.

The Florist

A minor character who assists Saeng in identifying the hibiscus plant.

David Lambert

Saeng’s love interest who lend his car to Saeng for driving practice

Saebba plant

the hibiscus plant from Saeng’s childhood garden in Laos.

Four years

How many years has passed since the Panouvong family migrated to America?

Luuke

What endearment does Mrs. Panouvon call her daughter, which means “child”?

Dishwasher and janitor

jobs the parents of Saeng has taken in America

Oldest child

Saeng’s birth order in the family

Mrs. Lambert

the wife of the Lutheran minister in the town who helped sponsor two Laotian refugee families

20-dollar bill

how much did Mrs. Panouvong give to her daughter to treat her and David to McDonald’s Big Mac

Bee-Maag

How Mrs. Panouvong pronounced Big Mac

Ban Vinai, Thailand in 1978

The refugee camp and the year the Panouvong family came to after they escaped across the Mekong River from Laos

Roses of Sharon

the flower the florist initially showed to Saeng when she described what she was looking for

Bitter Melon

Represents Saeng’s unique heritage—cultivated, misunderstood by Americans, but deeply valued in her own family

dok faeng-noi

Saeng’s mother refers to the plant Saeng buys, which translates to "little hibiscus flower" in Lao. It is a hardy variety of hibiscus that can survive the cold winters in America.

dok malik

Jasmine in Laotian

Winter Hibiscus

it symbolizes Saeng’s acceptance of her new surroundings and the beginning of her journey towards reconciliation and adaptation

round and dynamic

Saeng’s ’s character type

round and static

Mrs. Panouvong’s character type

flat and static

David’s character type