War Nirat in the Early Rattanakosin Period: The subgenre and the images of warrior

Abstract

Background and objective (s): Nirat – Thai traveling poetry– is a genre of literature that dates from the Ayutthaya period and, so far, has remained in a constant evolution. Most studies of nirat focus on analyzing it as a major literary genre, namely as a nirat. However, with a deeper examination, a variety of noteworthy subgenres can be uncovered, one of which is war nirat. War nirat possesses prominent characteristics and contains representations of warriors, a concept that is not normally discussed in other types of nirat. With this uniqueness in mind, the research for this article aimed to study the distinctive characteristics of war nirat in the early Rattanakosin period, as well as their depictions of warriors.

Methodology: This research was a qualitative study that utilized the concept of literary genres, literary character or person imagery analysis, and examination of the literature’s relationship with social context.

Main result: War nirat is a subgenre of nirat that emerged amidst the social context of the early Rattanakosin period. War nirat follows the literary convention of a nirat, using the expression of longing and sadness from being separated from a beloved one as the main device in the creation process, with a twist that incorporates features of tale literature, panegyric literature and ritualistic literature. With this approach, war nirat infuses perspectives on war into the main theme of longing. Additionally, war nirat depicts the image of the “military warrior,” a common concept found in contemporary works. A “military warrior” would prioritize protecting their city over their own desires, exhibit exceptional combat prowess and bear a brave heart.

Relevance to Thai Studies: Exploring the Thai literary genre of war nirat, this article reveals the creative process employed to produce works that fall into this genre. Among the factors that gave rise to this genre of literature is social context, which also contributes to the development of the “military warrior” archetype in Thai society.

Conclusion: Social context in the early Rattanakosin period played an essential role in the emergence of a subgenre of nirat, namely war nirat. It also contributes greatly to the portrayal of “military warrior” in war nirat, describing an ideal accomplishment for a soldier in Thai society. Furthermore, through the means of literature, war nirat demonstrates perspectives on war, a topic that is typically not discussed in nirat, but rather in tale literature. War nirat shows that the issue of war was particularly significant during the early Rattanakosin period. Authors used ideas around this issue to create works as war anecdotes, although their focus would remain on literary conventions that emphasize literary aesthetics and grandeur rather than the violent and cruel nature of war.