Background of The Study

1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of The Study

There are many ways to express ideas and choices as well as the human’s lives in society. Every person will has her story to be told. Each story she has will show her identity. There are many things can make us depressed, confused or tired. That is why we need something to entertain our life. We need someone to share our story with or some stories to read where both of which can be found in literature. Literature can be a colour of one imagination in an attempt to make sense of someone’s life. It is one of the universal and great creations in term of communicating emotion, spirit or intellect which concern of mankind. The basic material of literature is experience. Through literature, many authors try to express their ideas about what they have ever experienced in their lives or what is happening around them and the lives of people in their society. Literature helps people to grow, both personally and intellectually as it provides an objective base of knowledge and understanding. Literature has been widely known and used by many people all around the world. The term literature refers more closely to imaginative works. It also has a direct relation of actual life. It reflects an actual experience such as social, philosophical and moral concern. Literature is supposed to be an imaginative creation which is not far from 2 factual event. Literature itself has been traditionally classified into three genres; prose, poetry, and drama. Each genre still has subgenres and one of the subgenres of prose is novel. In Mastering English Literature, Richard Gill states that a novel is a world specially made in words by the author 1985:77. Peck and Coyle state that novels present a documentary picture of life. Alongside the fact that novels reflect the people in society, the other major characteristic of the genre is that novels tell a story. Most novelist focus on the tension between individuals and the society they live in. They also tell and describe the social life and society. Novel is process story telling with a great amount of detail on every page, and usually reveals human values Peek and Coyle, 1986:102. Basically, novels can portray the reality of daily life, hence they can be used as a document to study issues in society. The novelists themselves might have inherited a recording of reality that haveimpressed them which later expanded it to a literary work of art. In relation to the focus, the phenomenon of lesbianism has become a major subject in today’s society ever since it rose up in the nineteenth century becausebefore that period, lesbianism is a taboo thing. There are some definitions about lesbians. Anna Koedth 1971:13 says that lesbianism is the sexual and romantic desire between females. In another definition, some authors give explanation about lesbian. Simon Salomon 1971:29 states “Lesbian is a female of homosexual or a female who experiences romantic love or sexual attraction to other females.” 3 Zimmerman 1853:453 explains “The term lesbian is also used to express sexual identity or sexual behavior regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterized or associate nouns with female or same sex attraction.” Fingersmithis one of novels that discuss about lesbianism. Fingersmithis a fiction novel written by Sarah Waters. This novel was published in 2002. It is a kind of Victorian-inspired crime fiction novel, which mostly takes place in London in 19 th Century. Actually, the meaning offingersmith is a petty thief. The word “fingersmith” may also refer to someone who has mastered a skill involving the use of fingers. This novel tells about two women from different world who are brought together by hard life and forbidden desires in this period-drama. In the novel Fingersmith, Waters wants to show how the lesbian exists in that era. Literature identifies lesbians in such different ways, many authoresses have taken great license with their description of women who are suspected of having sexual interest in other women. The power of literature is to define and describe the common terms and ideas in society. It can keep groups of people invisible. Lesbians may face a distinct physical or mental health arising from discrimination, prejudice, and minority stress. Political conditions and social attitudes also affect the formation of lesbian relationships and the families.It is a new topic in literature and reality. Through this topic we can find out the reason why lesbianism happens and how it grows in society. This topic isanalyzed under postmodernism and feminism that celebrate diversities and new problems in society. 4

1.2 Problems of the Study