Khlong Char-lor Phra Buddha Saiyas: The Artistic Techniques of Literary Language and Influence on the Pa Mok Community, Ang Thong Province

Abstract

This article aims to: 1) study the artistic techniques of literary language in Khlong Char-lor Phra Buddha Saiyas, and 2) examine the influence of Khlong Char-lor Phra Buddha Saiyas on the Pa Mok community in Ang Thong Province. This qualitative research integrates documentary research with field data. Information was collected from the inscription of Khlong Char-lor
Phra Buddha Saiyas, the Fine Arts Department’s edited edition of Khlong Char-lor Phra Buddha Saiyas, the Royal Chronicles (Royal Autograph Edition), and interviews with residents of the Pa Mok community in Ang Thong Province. The findings reveal that Khlong Char-lor Phra Buddha Saiyas is an inscriptional literary work that not only records historical events but also “creates new meanings”, transforming a significant historical event into an aesthetic narrative through the processes
of artistic techniques of literary language. The text employs seven major techniques: 1) structuring the poetic form and content, 2) crafting sound and rhythm, 3) employing foreign-language vocabulary, 4) using a lexical field, 5) using expressions that create imagery, 6) enriching the meaning, and 7) employing linguistic strategies that create cohesion aligned with literary aesthetics Thus, the work is outstanding in both its linguistic form and its thematic content. Regarding the influence
of Khlong Char-lor Phra Buddha Saiyas on the Pa Mok community, the study finds that it functions as cultural capital in accordance with Bourdieu’s (1986) framework, which can be categorized into three types: 1) embodied state, 2) objectified state, and 3) institutionalized state. The community acts as the agent that transforms this capital, resulting in multidimensional value that generates tangible impacts on the local economy, society, ways of life, and community identity.