Writing Thailand: a creative exploration of Thai cultural identity in the form of English-language short fiction and non-fiction

Thongpanich, Pancharle (2019). Writing Thailand: a creative exploration of Thai cultural identity in the form of English-language short fiction and non-fiction. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis is comprised of a creative and critical component. The creative component is a collection of short stories and non-fiction vignettes centred around Thai identity named Thai Myths and Other True Stories. It performs the fragmented nature of identity by juxtaposing short stories that belong to very different genres of writing, including several retellings of Thai myths, and by blurring the lines between fiction and non-fiction. Many of the pieces are written in response to either the official government vision of Thai identity, or to the tourist expectations about Thailand. The critical component includes a critical essay and commentary. The critical essay delineates the theoretical frameworks centred around the writing of non-native English speakers and exploring aspects of Thai culture. It also offers an analysis of the themes and narrative strategies of selected texts by a range of writers – namely S.P. Somtow, Rattawaut Lapcharoensap, Salman Rushdie and Nathan Englander – whose projects resemble that of this thesis. The commentary details the process of writing the short story collection and investigates the implications of the choices made by the author regarding the form and thematic, and the styles and approaches influenced by the four writers mentioned in the critical essay.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):