Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface vii
4. Introduction, Dramatis Personae, and Chapters in the Vessantara Jātaka 1
5. 1. Readers in the Maze: Modern Debates About the Vessantara Story in Thailand 37
6. 2. Emotions and Narrative: Excessive Giving and Ethical Ambivalence in the Lao Vessantara Jātaka 53
7. 3. Blissfully Buddhist and Betrothed: Marriage in the Vessantara Jātaka and Other South and Southeast Asian Buddhist Narratives 81
8. 4. Jūjaka as Trickster: The Comedic Monks of Northern Thailand 100
9. 5. Narration in the Vessantara Painted Scrolls of Northeast Thailand and Laos 122
10. 6. A Man for All Seasons: Three Vessantaras in Premodern Myanmar 153
11. 7. Vessantara Opts Out: Newar Versions of the Tale of the Generous Prince 183
12. Index 211