The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the eulogy in the literary tales of the Ayudhya period. The investitation is meant to analyze the content and method of description in eulogy in order to evaluate how eulogy contributes to the story and its aesthetics. Eulogy can be devided into four groups : the description of the beauty of the cities, the beauty of characters, the beauty of the military processions and the beauty of nature. From the study, it is found that these four groups of eulogy are so similar that can be considered as conventional. However, the content and the literary contribution to the text of each group is different. The eulogy of cities normally praises the beauty as well as the prosperity and stability of the country. So it implies the status and the power of the main characters. In the eulogy of character, the poet presents the characters as majestic and graceful by comparing their beauty to an idealized beauty which is conventionally accepted. The description is intended to embellish the story and to show the flow of the story. The eulogy of the military processions reveals the greatness of the troops and the power of the king. It helps emphasize the importance of the event. In the eulogy of the nature, The post intends to give a picture of the enchanting nature. He usually mentions the names of the animals and describes their natural behavior very vividly. The description, therefore, serves to connect the main events in the story. The three distinguished methods normally employed in eulogy are direct description, comparison and the use of pun. The poet selects appropriate diction to create a clear and impressive picture. With the varieties of content and methods ; eulogy has an important role in two ways : firstly, it helps render the flow of the whole story logical, secondly , it contributes as an important part of the embellishment of the text. It is advisable to do more research about the other styles of description in Thai literature in order to study literature more appreciatively.
