Anna Leonowens and the Siamese court
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I wonder how many of you have had the opportunity to read "The English Governess at the Siamese Court" written by Anna Leonowens in 1870. As most of you will know, this book gave inspiration to the musical 'The King and I' and in later times, the movie 'Anna and the King'.
While we all know (or ought to know) that the musical was a gross injustification to the actual siamese court of the day, and in more or less the same as the movie, this was done to have the plot or whatever it may be to keep the audience entertained. It is only rightly so that the musical as well as the movie is banned in thailand.
I have skimmed through the book. In certain parts, the author does exhibit white-superiority-complex. The typical white colonial response to something that was foreign to them.
What I want to know is how true are the author's accounts in her book. I know the musical and movie are mostly a work of fiction. There has been rebuttal of the book and the so called-facts presented in it by Thais. This is not surprising as Thais hold high regards for their royal family and its lineage. Was there any research by non-thais that came to the same conclusion? -
Yes yes.. i have read the original writings... wah the english very....FUWAH!
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Yeah, the england too powderful. Got to tease out the meaning, a sentence at a time.Originally posted by mhcampboy:Yes yes.. i have read the original writings... wah the english very....FUWAH! 