Humor in the Royal Ghost Narratives of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn: Narrative Techniques and the Construction of Humor

Abstract

This research article, entitled “Royal Humor in Royal Writings on Ghosts: Narrative Strategies and the Creation of Humor,” aims to examine the narrative strategies, techniques of humor creation, and characteristics of royal humor found in the ghost writings of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study analyzes 25 texts: seven stories from Short Ghost Stories and Collected Royal Writings and eighteen stories from Phi Phloi Prasom. The texts are examined through content analysis and literary analysis. The findings reveal five major narrative strategies: (1) narrating through personal experiences and accounts told by others; (2) using real and familiar settings; (3) embedding narratives from witnesses or related individuals; (4) employing dialogue; and (5) integrating ordinary details of everyday life with supernatural events. These strategies lend a sense of realism to the ghost stories while bringing the supernatural into close contact with everyday life. Five techniques of humor creation are also identified: (1) subverting conventional images of ghosts; (2) juxtaposing supernatural incidents with ordinary daily activities; (3) creating incongruity and reversing expectations; (4) employing informal language, titles, and narrative tone; and (5) portraying intimate and affectionate relationships between humans and ghosts. These techniques diminish the frightening qualities of ghosts and transform fear into amusement. Furthermore, four distinctive characteristics of royal humor are found: humor arising from reversed expectations, humor derived from observations of everyday life, humor created through language and story titles, and gentle, subtle humor that does not ridicule the fears or suffering of others. The study demonstrates that humor in these royal writings is not merely a device for entertainment but functions as a significant narrative mechanism for “releasing ghosts from horror.” By diminishing the power of fear and incorporating the supernatural into the realm of everyday life, the ghost stories become spaces of amusement, memory, and relationships between people and places. This distinctive use of humor reflects Her Royal Highness’s literary artistry in transforming frightening subject matter into narratives that provide both pleasure and meaningful reflection.