Abstract

This dissertation takes the form of a suite of six essays (plus a formal introduction and conclusion), each focused on a representative work of Thai Gothic fiction. This corpus spans the late 1950s to the present day, encompassing the entire period known as “modern” Thai history, which takes 1932—the year the absolute monarchy fell and our first author was born—as its starting date. These texts are read not only in relation to their English-language forebears—the Jane Eyres, the Draculas, and Rebeccas that are their progenitors, alongside lesser-known authors like Marie Corelli (1855-1925)—but also for the ways in which they interact with conceptions of “Thai-ness”: for how they uphold, undermine, and interrogate notions of what it means to be Thai and speak to traditional hierarchies and gender divisions. Special attention is placed on how conventional Gothic figures like the haunted house, the ghost, the vampire, and the doppelgänger gain new tenor when placed in a Thai context and how they engage with local histories and concerns.

Committee Chair

Gerhild Williams

Committee Members

Matthew Erlin, Matthias Goeritz, Philip Purchase, Lynne Tatlock,

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Comparative Literature

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

Spring 5-15-2023

Language

English (en)

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