The Relationship between Female Characters and Supernatural Beliefs in the Romantic Suspense Novels of Pongwut Rujirachakorn

Abstract

This article aims to examine the relationship between female characters and beliefs in the supernatural in ten Romantic Suspense novels by Pongwut Rujirachakorn. The study adopts feminist theory as its analytical framework and employs textual analysis, presenting the findings in a descriptive-analytical form.

The results demonstrate that the supernatural does not merely serve to create a mysterious or thrilling atmosphere, but also plays an important role in shaping the plot and constructing female characters. First, various types of supernatural elements appear in the novels, including spirits, occult practices, mysterious objects, and parallel or liminal spaces. Each type serves different narrative functions, such as revealing hidden pasts, intensifying emotional pressure, and drawing female characters into unavoidable dangerous situations. Second, the texts construct female characters in close relation to emotions, intuition, and memory, as reflected in key traits such as sensitivity, extrasensory perception, and fear. These traits do not weaken female characters; rather, they serve as the starting point for their learning, confrontation, and development. Finally, the supernatural plays a crucial structural role in the narrative by creating conflict, driving resolution, and reflecting power relations in which beliefs are used to control women. However, in many cases, the texts show that female characters are able to negotiate, question, expose, and challenge patriarchal power through their confrontation with and eventual overcoming of supernatural forces.