The first is legitimation. Lyotard 1984: 8 argued that “Legitimation is the
process by which a legislator is authorized to promulgate such a law as a norm.” He also mentioned that
In this case, legitimation is the process by whic h a “legislator” dealing
with scientific discourse is authorized to prescribe the stated conditions in general, conditions of internal consistency and experimental verification
determining whether a statement is to be included in that discourse for consideration by the scientific community. 1984: 8
It means that legitimation is an impact of scientific demoralization. It is the condition when the society is developed by the scenarion of the
computerization. In this condition, governmental agencies or pirvate firms guide a certain decision for managing telecommunications industry. It
mentioned by Lyotard 1984 that It has been described extensively by the experts and is already guiding
certain decisions by the governmental agencies and private firms most directly concerned, such as those managing the telecommunication
industry. To some extent, then, it is already a part of observable reality. Finally, barring economic stagnation or a general recession resulting, for
example, fr
om a continued failure to solve the world‟s energy problems, there is a good chance that this scenario will come to pass: it is hard to see
what other direction contemporary technology could take as an alternative to the computerization of society.
The second aspect is sublime. Lucy 1997: 35 mentioned that According to the great eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel
Kant, in opposition to whose ideas the Romantic period is often wrongly defined, the sublime is an order of judgement. The sublime, as distinct
from the beautiful or the horrible, is not to be found in nature, but in the mind. While the sublime is both „universally valid‟ and „independent of
interest‟, the analytical process by which anything is judged to be sublime is a cultural achievement, not a natural a priori condition. Hence the
universal and disinterested sublime is always a product of particular cultural interests: a stormy sea, for example, may be produced as sublime
–and therefore universal and disinterested –in the mind of someone the English Romantic painter J. M. W. Turner, say whose cultural stock of
images of the beautiful and the horrible includes „the stormy sea‟ as an PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
example of powerful forces, objects or events that induce powerful feelings of fear, delight or grandeur.
It means that the words understood to express an idea is called as sublime, but for a culture it is not a sublime. In another meaning, sublime is words
creating an imagination of someone to see a literary work.
C. Theoretical Framework
Theories on setting which are purposed by Abrams, and Harmon are used to map the social condition in the short story as setting. By showing the social
condition as setting, this undergraduate thesis will answer the question on how is setting depicted in Bharati Muk
herjee‟s The Management of Grief . Theories on postmodernism which are purposed by Sarup, Lyotard, and
Lucy are used to show and see the aspects of postmodernism depicted by the setting on how the social condition depicts those aspects in Bharati
Mukherjee ‟s The Management of Grief. Besides, this undergraduate thesis
can see how this short story can show a new perspective to see problem, the way of communication, and pluralism through aspects of postmodernism.
21
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The Management of Grief is the final story of fiction book The Middleman and Other Stories written by Bharati Mukherjee, an American author.
Mukherjee was born in Calcutta, India. When she was young, she lived in London with her parents and sisters. However, she returned to India in 1951
to study at the universities of Calcutta and Baroda. Then, she studied at the University of Iowa Writers Workshop for her doctorate. She and her husband
Clark Blaise lived in Canada for ten years. She has published three novels The Tiger’s Daughter 1972, Wife 1975, and Jasmine 1989; two story
collections Darkness 1985 and The Middleman and Other Stories 1988; two works of non- fiction Days and Nights in Calcutta and The Sorrow and
the Terror. The Management of Grief is the story taken from The Middleman and Other Stories. It had recently won the 1988 National Book Critics Circle
Award for Fiction. According to some reviews, The Management of Grief shows the cultural
dissonance. It refers to the fact that this short story explores the cultural gap between a Canadian social worker and Indian immigrants in Canada. Besides,
this was an actual terrorist bombing of an Air India flight occured in 1985 that was killed 329 passangers and crews. The most of them are Canadians of
Indian. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Another review criticizes about the language that is used in the short story. It says that it is unrealistic because all of the characters are Indian, but they
speak English. The Management of Grief is accessible to a broad American society.
In this case, this short story focuses on Shaila Bhave, an Indian immigrant, who lost her husband and two sons in terrorist bombing of Air Indian Flight.
Besides, this short story pictures the condition of people who lost their relatives. Bhave, who is considered as a brave person to face the condition,
helps Templeton to communicate with people in their grief. Then, she manages their grief together with the people who have the same grief. After
managing the grief, Bhave continues her new life.
B. Approach of the Study
The short story is analyzed by using Postmodernist Appproach. This approach is perfect for analyzing this study because this undergraduate thesis
discusses more about the aspects of postmodernism. In the aspects of postmodernism, there will be discussions about communication, language,
and social condition in which postmodernist approach mentioned. Guerin 2005: 300 stated that
Postmodernism questions everything rationalist European philosophy held to be true, arguing that it is all contingent and that most cultural
constructions have served the function of empowering members of a dominant social group at the expense of others. Beginning in the mid-
1980s, postmodernism emerged in art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion, and other fields.
Postmodernist approach also shows how postmodernism sees social condition through language as “grand narratives.”
Guerin 2005: 300 mentioned th at “Societies must have order. Jean-
Fran
Ç
ois Lyotard argues that stability is maintained through “grand
narratives” or “master narratives,” stories a culture tells about its practices and beliefs in order to keep going.”
Since this undergraduate thesis sees that The Management of Grief teaches a meaningful way on facing a problematic condition,it is the best to
do this study by using postmodernist approach. Postmodernist approach enables this undergraduate thesis to dig deeper about language, pluralism, and
culture which are depicted in the social condition of the short story.
C. Method of the Study
In gathering the sources, this undergraduate thesis used a library research. Library research is the most relevant method to use among other methods.
The sources are taken from books, journals, texts which are related to the study, and web site references. The primary source is The Management of
Grief by Bharati Mukherjee. In analyzing, this undergaraduate thesis needs secondary sources which are two books on literary research, A Glossary
Literary Terms Seventh Edition 1999 by Abrams, and A Handbook to Literature 11th Edition 2009 by Harmon, three books on Postmodernism,
An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism 1993 by Sarup, Postmodern Literary Theory An Introduction 1997 by Lucy, and
The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge 1984 by Lyotard. There were more printed and web-based sources related to this study.
There were several steps taken in order to analyze and finish this study. The first step was close reading the primary source The Management of Grief
by Baharati Mukherjee. As the primary source was read, studying the elements of the work raised the intention to study the elements deeper. The
second step was making list of elements which included social condition, pluralism, and the way of communication. The third step was close reading
the secondary sources in order to narrowing this study could be finished. By reading those, the topic was decided to this undergraduate thesis. This would
dig more about social condition in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief and relate it with postmodernism.
Problem formulations were made as the guidance for the analysis. Firstly, this undergraduate thesis discussed the depiction of setting. Secondly, this
undergraduate thesis observed aspects of postmodernism in social condition ar
e depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. Finally, after getting through all of the steps, the conclusion was drawn.
