Background of the Study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

There are so many ways of communication used by people in order to convey or express their feelings, and imagination, through a process of creativity. Everything that people have seen, heard, felt, or sensed, as an input is processed in the brain through the process of creativity that is combined with imagination which result in an output that can be seen in many different things such as a drawing, music, visualization, a poem, short story, novel, or another artistic product. That will be enjoyed by other people. Some of those artistic products are categorized as literary work. Literary works are also ways of communication. The authors use it to convey their thoughts, feeling and even their imagination. The literary work involves poem, short story, novel, play‟s script, and some others written artistic products. According to a book, A Handbook of Critical Approaches to literature, written by Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willinghan, in order to know the literary work deeper, there are four elements, which are important in understanding literature, i.e. the work, the artist, the universe the world, the audience and itself. Four elements in the total situation of a work of art are discriminated and made salient, by one or another synonym, in almost all theories which aim to be comprehensive. First, there is the work, the artistic product itself. And since this is a human product, an artifact, the second common element is the artificier, the artist. Third, the work is taken to have a subject which, directly or deviously, is derived from existing things – to be about, or signify, or reflect something which either is, or bears some relation to, an objective state of affairs. …but let us the more neutral and comprehensive term, universe, instead. For the final element we have audience: the listeners, spectators, or readers to whom the work is addressed, or to whose attention, at any rate, it becomes available. Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, and Willinghan, 2011: 6 According to the quotation above, in order to know the literary work deeper, there are four elements, which are important in seeing literature, the first is the universe the world, second is the artist, third is the audience and the last is the work itself. The quotation above also give a brief explanation about the relation between the elements which can be seen through the work as an expression of the author, the work as the object related to the audience to whom the work is addressed, or the work as an artistic product that imitate or reflect the universe or the world. One of some theories which the main focus is in the relationship between a literary work and the universe is Mimetic Theory, mentioned in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to literature, “The mimetic orientation – the explanation of art as essentially an imitation of aspects of the universe.” Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, and Willinghan, 2011: 6 . Using mimetic theory‟s point of view, a work of literature may bring some issues that happen in the place where the author is living. It also can be a reflection of a certain culture that either the author acknowledges or knows well. That is why some people always say that by reading literary books, one can learn many things about the world. A critical thought from a reader, who wants to believe that the work brings issues of the world, leads them to relate between the work and the history of the issue. Then, the reader will find out whether the work is reflecting the world. Even though a work is a fiction, it is said that the work might bring certain issue when it has the same or similar characteristic with a certain historical fact. It is strengthened through the sufficient proof of an analysis in relation with the author‟s life. It happens to Lady Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji translated by Arthur Waley, which is used in this research. Murasaki Shikibu‟s The Tale of Genji also brings some issues about Japanese culture of Heian Japanese aristocracy. The idea to do this research is triggered by Ivan Morr is‟s statement in his book The World of the Shining Prince; he said that “During their time the remote city of Heian Kyō was the most flourishing cultural center in the world next to the Chinese capital” Morris, 1964: 4. Even though it is said as the most flourishing culture center in the world, but almost every important aspect in its culture is borrowed from abroad, in that time. In Heian period, the abroad culture that mostly borrowed is Chinese culture especially in its literature are more or less directly borrowed. Some researchers believe that this novel brings the concept of culture of ancient Japan. Like what William J. Puette‟s said, “Yet in the Heian period portrayed in The Tale of Genji, these Chinese systems and beliefs, having been digested, were in the process of essential modification to accommodate native Japanese sensibilities.” Puette, 1983: 26. It was done in a consideration related to the Japanese history and a little from the history of the author‟s life, the one who create the novel based on her imagination and knowledge. There is also a statement from another writer that leads the writer of this research to carry on the topic. THE HISTORY of the reception of The Tale of Genji is no less than a culture history of Japan, for the simple reason that the Genji has had a profound impact at various levels of culture in every historical period since its composition, including the twenty-first century, producing what is called “Genji culture.” Most major text enjoy a certain popularity in a particular period among a specific community of readers, but, remarkably The Tale of Genji has become many things to many different audiences through many different media over a thousand years, a position unmatched by any other Japanese text or artifact. It is also one of the few Japanese text that, in the modern period, has had a global reach, coming to be recognized as part of world literature, earning acclaim as perhaps the world first novel,... Shirane, 2008: 1 Haruo Shirane, in his book Envisioning The Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, Cultural Production , mentioned that The Tale of Genji is one of the few Japanese text that yet has had a global reach and being recognized as part of world literature . By that statement the writer‟s encouraged to bring out the topic of this research as her undergraduate thesis. The writer wants to enrich the list of the literature which is used as the undergraduate thesis. To strengthen the idea that the novel brings the concept of culture of ancient Japan, a statement by George Sansom is also quoted. He says , “It is safe to say that Chinese thought contributed in Japan more to the organization of society than to the spiritual development of the individual” Sansom, 1979: 98. Due to the similarities between what are portrayed in the novel and the history, then it is true that this novel brings some concept of culture of ancient Japan. One of many cultural aspects which are brought up in the novel is its concept of marriage. Generally marriage is known as an institution that legalized man and woman relationship, but deep in the society, it grows to be something more than that. Some aspects in the society, such as its politic, economy, morality, religiosity, social life, also influence it. Those aspects have big possibility in influencing the concept of marriage. The term which is applied in marriage is both on ceremonial event and legal contract which might be changed in its purpose, meaning or its rule. The changing depends on the society because marriage and all of its terms is one of many cultures that produced and agreed by society. The concept of marriage itself has existed since the ancient time in some societies. Each region has its own rules and ways about marriage. For example, ancient Hebrew law dictated that if a married man dies, his brother is to become the widow‟s husband, though the main purpose is positively to take care about the woman. While in ancient Egypt, women could have the equal rights in marriage, even though this was not always practiced. ancient Japan also has its own concept of marriage which occurred in its Heian era. It is mentioned in George Sansom book, A History of Japan, As a rule the Fujiwara achieved their ends not by violence but by the relentless use of political pressure, which they were able to apply because of their matrimonial relations with the throne or by means of their great wealth and consequent influence in the provinces, where their estates multiplied rapidly. Sansom, 1979: 139 Marriage can be beneficial for some organizations, group of people, institutions, or clan in order to deal with the legal point of law such as inheritance rights. Sometime the concept of marriage implies a purpose such as political business where women likely treated as a commodity or possession. This is the moment when „marriage politics‟ happen in order to get a good sponsor to support the political power. The concept of marriage is different from generation to generation. It depends on the kind of society where the concept grows. Japan, especially its ancient aristocrat‟s families also has its own way of concept of marriage. It becomes unique because of cultural aspects which was borrowed from abroad, makes Heian period different from other Japanese periods. Invariably their faces are white and plum, their eyes long, almost closed, slits, from which we can gather no expression, their nose a tiny conventional hook and their mouth a delicate little circle; of their figures we see nothing at all, since they are swathed in voluminous robes. This is how painters of the twelfth century imagined the women of Murasaki‟s time; their pictures represent the ideal of Heian feminine beauty which itself was greatly influenced by that of T‟ang China.” Morris, 1964: 201- 202 It has unique point of view about beauty and its perspective in approaching woman that get strong influence from Chinese culture. In that era, Chinese culture affects the aristocrat society with its way of life and literature. One of many great literary works in the world was produced in Heian era. The title of the literary work is Genji Monogatari written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu which is also known as The Tale of Genji. The reason why the writer does this research is because the way people to get a better life in Heian era is through a marriage. “It is no surprise, then, to see the tremendous concern in the novel with marital alliances, for practically the only way of climbing the Heian social ladder was by securing a good match for one ‟s offspring.” Puette, 1983: 28 meaning to say, people of that era are fully aware of „marriage politics‟ which can bring them into a better future. In order to get a good sponsor for their family, they should prepare their daughter to be a good woman so that she might be chosen by a high rank nobleman or even an imperial one to be wife. Here in this research, the ancient literature, The Tale of Genji written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu, uses to reveal the concept of marriage which occur in that time as it is reflected in the novel. This literature is the right one to reveal the concept of marriage of the ancient Heian Japanese aristocrat. Through the characters love stories and their marriages which are highlighted in the novel, the concept of marriage of Heian Japanese aristocrat can be revealed in detail.

B. Problem Formulation