Siam’s great folk epic, The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen, has entertained readers and audiences down through the centuries, with its rich and earthy portrayal of life and relationships. Here, a mix of Thai and Western scholars present five critical essays that uncover hidden layers and expose new themes using theories and approaches developed mainly within the field of Western literary criticism.

The first two essays arose out of the crucible of Thailand’s social upheaval and student protest movement in the early 1970s, while the remaining essays are more recent.