Cambodia
The Kingdom of Wonder
A country on the Indochinese mainland of
Southeast Asia. Cambodia is largely a land of plains
and great rivers and lies amid important overland and
river trade routes linking China to India and
Southeast Asia. The influences of many Asian
cultures, alongside those of France and the United
States, can be seen in the capital, Phnom Penh, one
of a handful of urban centres in the largely rural
country
For 2,000 years Cambodia’s civilization
absorbed influences from India and China and, in
turn, transferred them to other Southeast Asian
civilizations. From the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of
Funan and Chenla (1st–8th century) through the
classical age of the Angkor period (9th–15th
century), it held sway over territories that are now
part of Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. The Khmer
(Cambodian) empire reached its apex in the 12th
century, a time marked by the construction of the
massive temple complexes known as Angkor Wat
and Bayon and the imperial capital of Angkor Thom.
Cambodian Literature
The classical literature of Cambodia
comprises works composed in verse and recorded
between the 16th and mid-19th century; much of it
reflects the cultural influence of India. It can be
classified according to three major genres:
 Epic
 verse
 Novels and cbap, or “codes of conduct.
The best-known epic is the Reamker
(“Honour of Rama”; Eng. trans. Reamker), the
Cambodian version of the Ramayana, one of the
great epic poems of India. Surviving texts of the
Reamker date from the 16th or 17th century, but bas-
reliefs at Angkor Wat show that the Rama
(Cambodian Ream) story had been known in
Cambodia for centuries.
The Cambodian version includes incidents
and details not found in the Sanskrit original written
by the poet Valmiki. As in other Southeast Asian
countries, the Rama story in Cambodia is not
confined to the realm of literature but extends to all
Cambodian art forms, from sculpture to dance drama
and from painting to tourist art.
Verse novels emerged during the early 18th
century. They are usually long, in some instances
consisting of as many as 8,000 stanzas. Most are
based on the jataka tales (stories of the former lives
of the Buddha, found widely in Southeast Asian
literature), while others draw on local folktales and
legends.
One of the best-known is Tum Teav, a
tragic love story believed to be based on real events
that occurred during the 17th century. The story was
passed down orally and then eventually recorded in
the 19th century by the poet Santhor Mok. It
remains a widely known story that is taught in
schools and often retold in comic-strip format. It has
also been filmed on two occasions and has inspired
stage adaptations and popular songs.
Cambodian literature is something of a
unique creation, born from a tragic national history
and a culture of oral storytelling. Vincent Wood
explores the history of Cambodia’s literature and the
struggles faced by Khmer writers in the twentieth
century.
Historically, only a small portion of
Cambodia’s population was literate and so large parts
of the storytelling traditions of the country are oral
and based in local folklore. These stories are
heavily influenced by the predominant religions of
Buddhism and Hinduism and also reflect the cultural
influence of nearby India.

The oldest example of such oral stories is

the Reamker, a Cambodian version of the Indian
epic Ramayana which is traditionally staged
theatrically with dance alongside the verses.

For most of Cambodia’s history, written

literature was, for the most part, restricted to the royal
courts or Buddhist monasteries of the country.
In 1863 Cambodia became a protectorate of
France, bringing new literary attitudes and
technologies to the country; by 1908 the first book in
Khmer was printed in Phnom Penh.
This allowed a new flowering of Cambodian
literature and by 1954 the Khmer Writers’
Association had been set up in order to promote
writing, as well as introduce new themes and
direction to literature.
Tararith Kho is one of the few Cambodian
authors to have made a name for himself both within
his own country and internationally. He became a
Scholar at Risk fellow at Harvard. His books and
poetry anthologies include
 Lesson of Life
 Culture Should Not Stay Alone
 Regretful, Red Print and Khmer Nigeria Poetry.
Other recent literature is still predominantly
focused on big issues plaguing the country, such as
Somaly Mam’s The Road of Lost Innocence. The
book is a memoir about Mam’s childhood and
adolescence as a prisoner of the sex trade in
Cambodia, and helps to raise awareness of the extent
of the trafficking to this day.
Culture of Cambodians in Decision Making
Cross cultural management will be more
effective if you understand the importance
Cambodians place on personal relationships. The
communication style in Cambodia generally reflects
the value placed on relationships as people tend to be
fairly indirect in the way they communicating. This
helps to protect relationships and avoid conflict:
Negotiations will be slow while they take the time to
get to know you. It is worth being patient as any
display of impatience could jeopardize the deal.
Basic Elements of the Story
A. Settings
When/where does the story take place? The
word "setting" includes not only where the story
takes place but also when it happens, as well as the
people and culture that live in the world where the
story takes place. Having a well-developed setting is
important because it enhances the reading experience
and helps the story's plot, tone, and characters
flourish.
B. Character
A character is a person, animal, or anything
personified who acts in the plot of a short story or
other literary work. Through characters, readers can
experience the world that the author has built, both
through the characters' interactions with and
perceptions of their environment.

C. Conflict
 Conflict is any challenge that a character Plots can be told in
faces in a narrative. In a short narrative, the conflict is
a struggle between two people or objects. The  Chronological order
protagonist is on one side of the primary conflict.
 Flashback
Conflict is essential to any story's tension and serves
to propel the narrative forward. It is frequently  In media res (in the middle of things) when the
employed to disclose a deeper meaning inside a story starts in the middle of the action without
narrative while exposing the motivations, ideals, and exposition
faults of the characters.

D. Theme

The idea, belief, moral, lesson, or insight

being discussed here is referred to as the theme. It's Pyramid Plot Structure
the author's main point of contention that they want
the reader to grasp. The theme might be thought of as The most basic and traditional form of plot is
the "why" of the story. pyramid-shaped.

It is also important to have a theme in order This structure has been described in more
to give your characters and events significance, the detail by Aristotle and by Gustav Freytag.
kind of significance that frequently results in a
Aristotle’s Unified Plot
significant amount of emotional or spiritual
participation and release from the audience.

E. Plot

The sequence of events that take place

throughout the narrative is referred to as the plot. In
general, a plot will have an introduction, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The plot
is in charge of making sure that every important part
of the story is in place so that the reader can
The basic triangle-shaped plot structure was
understand it and it can move forward.
described by Aristotle in 350 BCE. Aristotle used the
beginning, middle, and end structure to describe a
story that moved along a linear path, following a
Teaching Plot Structure Through Short Stories chain of cause and effect as it works toward the
solution of a conflict or crisis.

Freytag’s Plot Structure

Plot is the literary element that describes the

structure of a story. It shows the a causal arrangement
of events and actions within a story.

Types of Linear Plots Freytag modified Aristotle’s system by

adding a rising action (or complication) and a falling
action to the structure. Freytag used the five-part
design shown above to describe a story’s plot. Mrs. Geni in December”

By Arswendo Atmowiloto

Conflict TONE

Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two refers to the methods by which writers and speakers
forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no plot. reveal attitude or feelings – toward the material,
toward their readers, and toward the general situation
Types of Conflict: that they are describing or analyzing.

Interpersonal Conflict: The authors’ attitude or attitude toward the subject

matter and toward the readers may be deduced by
 Human vs Human reading the selection carefully
 Human vs. Nature The tone depends on what the author himself feels
towards the setting or the character, and what he
 Human vs. Society
wants us to feel. For example, when the author
Internal Conflict: writes, “James didn’t want to go into that dark room
and preferred to stay where he was”, he means that
 Human vs. Self James was very scared. Or, the sentence “The sun
was shining so bright that Margaret wanted to run
LITERATURE OF INDONESIA around the garden singing all day long” suggests that
Margaret was feeling excited or happy.

MOOD

On the contrary, the mood depends on what the

reader feels. The mood is usually created at the
beginning of the story, so the reader can expect what
will happen later on. For instance, the writer might
say that the night was dark and moonless. Even
though nothing is said about anyone feeling scared,
this is probably the emotion that the reader will
perceive. A different author might start his story
describing a cruel man shouting and hitting his son.
This will give the readers the feeling of anger
towards the man, and pity towards his