Turn Teav: a Study of a Cambodian Literary Classic
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Turn Teav: A Study of a Cambodian Literary Classic George V. Chigas II Presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Of the University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies) 2001 ProQuest Number: 10731710 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10731710 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 2 Abstract One of the cornerstones of the Cambodian literary canon is the verse novel Turn Teav. There are numerous versions o f the story that cover all the major modes of creative expression in Cambodian culture. In addition to the literary and theatrical versions, the story also appears in different historical texts, as it is generally believed that the characters described in the story are based on actual people and events in Cambodian history. Despite Turn Teav's tremendous importance and popularity however, there are no studies that examine the extensive literary criticism on the text or the influence of the story in contemporary Cambodian culture and society. This work is an attempt to present an overview o f the literary criticism on Turn Teav and provide the reader with an insight into the viewpoints of contemporary Cambodian writers and intellectuals on the major themes in the story. Chapter 1 discusses different versions of the story in various genres, including literary, historical, oral, theatrical, and film, in order to demonstrate the story’s importance in Cambodian culture and society. Chapter 2 presents my revised translation of Turn Teav by Venerable Botumthera Som that was begun while completing my MA degree at Cornell. Venerable Botumthera Som’s manuscript was completed in 1915 and is the best-known version of the story. 3 Chapter 3 examines different texts o f literary criticism on Turn Teav, giving special attention to the controversy concerning the original author of the story. This chapter also discusses major themes in the story, namely traditional codes of conduct, abuse of power, and justice, and uses various examples from Cambodian literature to illustrate them further. Chapter 4 concludes this work with an analysis of several interviews that I conducted with Cambodian writers and scholars concerning the major themes in the story. Particular attention is given to the influence of Turn Teav in Cambodian culture and society, especially the theme of justice in light of the pending trials of the former members of the Khmer Rouge for crimes of genocide. 4 Table of Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 8 Chapter 1: The Importance of Turn Teav 10 Introduction 10 A Brief Summary of Turn Teav 12 Different Versions of Turn Teav 16 Oral Versions 16 Historical Versions 21 The Royal Chronicles 22 Eng Soth 33 Mak Phoeun 37 Khin Sok 39 The Place o f Turn Teav in the Cambodian Literary Canon 42 Literary Versions 47 Sandhor Mok 49 Venerable Botumthera Som 52 Nou Kan 55 Kong Huot and Chau Seng (French Adaptation) 58 Modem Adaptations 60 Theatrical 61 Comic Strip Format 63 Film 65 Song 66 Chapter 2: The Story of Turn Teav ................................................ Introduction (stanzas 1-29)69 Part 1 (30-138): Turn’s and Teav’s First Love and Separation 76 Part 2 (138-298): Turn’s Sin 104 Part 3 (299-354): Turn’s and Pech’s Return to Tbong Kmom 144 Part 4 (355-391): Teav’s Arranged Marriage To the Governor’s Son 159 Part 5 (392-442): The Consummation o f Turn’s and Teav’s Love 168 Part 6 (443-446): The Governor’s Son’s Courtship o f Teav 181 Part 7 (447-531): Turn’s Summoning By the King And Separation From Teav 183 Part 8 (532-628): Teav’s Selection To Be a Concubine & Reunion with Turn 196 Part 9 (629-751): Teav’s Mother’s Trick And the Separation of Turn & Teav 221 Part 10 (752-884): The Wedding And Death of Turn and Teav 252 Part 11 (885-1044): The Punishment of Ah Chun & Teav’s Mother 285 Chapter 3: Turn Teav in Cambodian Literary Criticism ........... Introduction 326 The Emergence of Cambodian Literary Criticism 326 Kambujasuriya 331 Literary Criticism on Turn Teav 341 The Authorship Controversy 342 Leang Hap An (1962) 342 Ouk Saman (1966) 345 Kong Somphea (1971) 353 Ministry of Education (1989) 357 Major Themes 361 Kim Set (1959) 363 6 Kim Sam Or (1961) 367 Leang Hap An (1962) 374 Ouk Saman (1966) 388 Saem Sur (1970) 405 Vandy Kaonn (1973) 410 Chapter 4: Turn Teav Today ........................................................... 416 Introduction416 Tbong Kmom T oday 419 Interviews 427 Short Biographies of Interviewees 428 Mr Pech Turn Kravei 429 Mr Hong Soth432 Mr You Bo 435 Mrs Pal Vannarirak 437 Mrs N imo la Y im 438 Mrs Pol Pisey 439 Mr Sam Arth Va 440 Mr Sok Heang Oun 441 Mr Ven Sun 442 Mrs Sophany Oum 444 Venerable Sao Khon Thamteroa 445 Mr Youk Chhang 446 Interviewees’ Viewpoints on Turn Teav447 Buddhist Morality and Traditional Codes of Conduct 449 Abuse of Power 454 7 Justice 460 Conclusion: Turn Teav and Systems of Justice in Cambodia Today 466 Bibliography ............................................................................................................472 8 Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the support and advice of many people. At SOAS, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to interact with leading scholars of Southeast Asian studies. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge my supervisor, Dr David Smyth, whose wise guidance enabled me to see this project through. I would also like to give special thanks to Mrs Judith Jacob, whose work in Cambodian studies has long been an inspiration to me. I am grateful for the afternoons we spent together working on the translation of Turn Teav and discussing the text. I would also like to offer thanks Dr Steve Heder and Dr Klairung Amratisha, with whom 1 spent many engaging hours discussing Khmer studies. In Cambodia, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet with writers and scholars with in-depth knowledge of Turn Teav. First among them are Mr Pech Turn Kravei and Mr Hong Soth. I would also like to thank Mr You Bo and the writers at the Khmer Writers Association for sharing with me their views on the story, as well as Mr Youk Chhang and the staff at the Documentation Center of Cambodia for their generosity in arranging my trip to Tbong Kmom. In France, I was able to access the necessary documents and texts for this research with the help of many people. I would like to thank Dr Ashley Thompson for her kind hospitality and keen insight into Khmer studies. I 9 would also like to thank Dr Khing Hok Dy, Mr Alain Daniel and Dr Mak Phoeun and Mr Ham Chhay Ly, who provided me with articles and resources critical to my research. During the process of writing this thesis, I have benefited greatly from the help of many scholars of Khmer studies. Among them are Professor Ben Kiernan at Yale University, Dr Okada Tomoko at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Dr Toni Shapiro Phim and Mr Thavro Phim, and Dr Susan Cook. I owe all o f them my sincere gratitude and appreciation. My graduate study at the University of London was supported in part by a SOAS Research Student Fellowship. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for this important institutional support. Finally, 1 would like to thank my parents, my wife and family, who have been so steadfast and generous in their support. This thesis is dedicated to them. 10 Chapter 1: The Importance Turnof Teav Introduction Turn Teav is a tragic love story about a talented novice monk named Turn and a beautiful adolescent girl named Teav. There are numerous versions o f the story that cover all the major modes o f expression in Cambodian culture. In addition to oral versions, there are literary versions as well as modern adaptations of the story for Cambodian theater and film.1 Turn Teav also appears in different historical texts, as it is generally believed that the characters described in the story are based on actual people and events in Cambodian history. The different versions of Turn Teav in various genres attest to the story’s tremendous importance and popularity in Cambodian culture and society.2 Turn Teav is a cornerstone o f the Cambodian literary canon and has been taught in Cambodian schools since 1957, the year Khmer literature was first introduced into the national curriculum after winning independence ! Turn Teen’ was performed in July 1999 at the Chatamuk Theater in Phnom Penh just prior to my arrival in Cambodia doing research for this dissertation. 2 The importance of Turn Teav has also been recognized by Western scholars of Cambodia. In addition to the late 19th century French scholars discussed in this chapter, the story has been o f current interest to modem scholars of Cambodia. See for example Alex Hinton’s article “A Head For an Eye: Revenge in the Cambodian Genocide” (American Ethnologist 25(3):352-377, 1998) in which Professor Hinton uses Turn Teav as a primary reference for trying to understand the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.