Writing Techniques in Nirat Para Lok Literature

Abstract

This article aims to study writing techniques in six works of Thai literature, referred to as Nirat Para Lok literature, that employ the conventions of nirat literature to depict journeys to the afterlife—heaven, hell, or both. In these works, three prominent writing techniques are found: story-telling, following Thai nirat literary conventions, and literary poetics. Through these writing techniques, six aesthetic flavors, Rasa, are present: bibhatasa (disgust), bhayanaka (terror), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonder), shringara (romantic), and hasya (humor). In the journey to hell, bibhatasa and bhayanaka dominate to highlight horror and revulsion as moral warnings. In contrast, the journey to heaven emphasizes adbhuta to portray beauty and bliss, motivating readers to pursue good deeds. It can be said that these works inherit the Buddhist concept of doing good deeds and refraining from evil, and function as a form of socialization for social norms.