Abstract
This chapter offers an analysis of the novel Thawiphop (Parallel Worlds) by Thai author Tamayanti and its reception in Thai society. First published in 1986, Thawiphop has gained wide popularity both in print and in various screen and stage adaptations. The success of the novel – the Thawiphop phenomenon – reveals the interconnection between nationalism and the entertainment industry in contemporary Thailand. This chapter suggests that Thawiphop takes Lewis’s legendary books Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass as its inspiration and argues that Thawiphop becomes a mirror of efforts by the Thai middle class to appropriate nationalism – and hence a claim to political power – by reimagining the history of the late nineteenth-century Siam/Thailand. The novel continues a literary tradition that was pioneered by Kukrit Pramoj’s novel Four Reigns (1953) and combines love stories with historical narratives of the Bangkok period seen through the eyes of women. Most Thawiphop versions do not center their fantasized pasts on the king. Instead, they create a female protagonist who travels to the past to shape the nation’s destiny and who has no desire to return to the present world. The Thawiphop phenomenon thus shows that the identity of the middle class and their nostalgia for the past are connected through the construction of gender roles, in particular, through the theme of “mothering the nation” and through the interpretation of the Franco-Siamese conflict of 1893.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
Note that Wimol has also used a number of other pseudonyms.
- 3.
Other popular literary magazines include Banggog, Kwan Ruan, Ying Thai, and Satrisan.
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A new category of artistic creativities which became popular after the student uprising on October 14, 1973, a revolution that ended 14 years of military rule.
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The demonstrations may not have been so much in support of Thaksin as in protest against a government lacking in democratic legitimacy and acting against the interests of the protesters, who had voted, with a majority of the electorate, for a different administration.
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- 7.
By the turn of the twentieth century, international and domestic developments had led to the adoption of the Siamese national ideology that is still promoted today. The collapse of authoritarian monarchies in Europe at the end of World War I served as a warning to King Vajiravudh against similar threats to his own rule in Siam. Furthermore, the political and financial support the Thai-Chinese community gave to the Chinese overseas movements cast doubts on their loyalty to the crown and the Kingdom of Siam. Their activities appeared all the more threatening to Siam as they played prominent roles in the country’s economy. Against this background, the king promoted the ideology of “nation, religion, and monarchy” in an effort to protect his power.
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In 1959, Cambodia attempted to settle its dispute with Thailand over Preah Vihear Temple by turning to the International Court of Justice. Marshal Sarit Thanarat exploited the case in an effort to legitimize his dictatorial rule.
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Adaptations of Thawiphop
Thawiphop. (1990). Dir. Cherd Songsri. Cherdchai Films.
Thawiphop. (1994). Dir. Charoon Thammasin. Dara Video.
The Siam Renaissance. (2004). Dir. Surapong Pinijkhar. Film Bangkok.
Thawiphop the musical. (2005). Dir. Takolkiet Weerawan. Scenario.
Thawiphop the musical. (2011). Dir. Takolkiet Weerawan. Scenario.
Thawiphop. (2011). Dir. Mawin Deangnoi and Penlak Udomsin. Dara Video.
Filmography
The legend of Suriyothai. (2001). Dir. Prince Chatichalerm Yukol. Prommitr Production Co., Ltd.
The legend of King Naresuan: Hostage of Hongsawadi. (2007). Dir. Prince Chatichalerm Yukol. Prommitr Production Co., Ltd.
The legend of King Naresuan: Proclaiming independence. (2007). Dir. Prince Chatichalerm Yukol. Prommitr Production Co., Ltd.
The Legend of King Naresuan: The naval battle. (2011). Dir. Prince Chatichalerm Yukol. Prommitr Production Co., Ltd.
The Legend of King Naresuan: The battle against Nanda Bayin. (2011). Dir. Prince Chatichalerm Yukol. Prommitr Production Co., Ltd.
Acknowledgment
I wish to thank Claus K. Meyer for his comments and our discussions on this essay.
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Meyer, M.J. (2014). The Thawiphop Phenomenon: Reimagining Nationalism in a Contemporary Thai Novel and Its Stage and Screen Adaptations. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Contemporary Socio-Cultural and Political Perspectives in Thailand. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7244-1_8
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