27
between two main characters the no-name narrator and Saúl Zuratas and the conflicts between the no-name narrator with himself.
To answer the third problem, the writer uses the description of setting that has been answered in the first problem formulation and the depiction the main
conflicts. This step is to analyze the relation between setting and main conflicts in The Storyteller
and Mario Vargas Llosa‘s life background combined with Anderson‘s theory of nationalism.
28
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study was a novel entitled The Storyteller. It was written by a Peruvian writer, Mario Vargas Llosa. The Storyteller was first published in
Spanish in 1987 with El Hablador as its original title. The novel used in this study was the English version published by Picador in 1989, with 246 pages including 8
chapters. The author of this novel, Mario Vargas Llosa is also well-known for his works such as Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter 1977, The Feast of the Goat
2000, and The Bad Girl 2006. The Storyteller
is a story representing several problems faced by the Amazonian inhabitants, specifically those in Peru. The novel whose setting put in
the era of 1950s-1980s, actually represented not only about problems in Amazonian inhabitants but also some other problems in Peruvian society. It began
with a no-name narrator whose mind brought back to his country, Peru, when he visited a gallery in Firenze, Italy. The photographs displayed in that gallery
described about one of tribes in Amazon called Machiguenga. One of the photographs really reminded him of his friend, Saul Zuratas whom he knew for
his total dedication for natives in Peruvian jungle, especially Machiguenga. The story then revealed the memory of the narrator when he was with Saul in college
and their conflicting, arguing about Machiguenga. Saul Zuratas seemed to be the main discussion even among the narrator and his lecturers due to his insisting on
29
arguing that a study about Machiguenga is a kind of immoral act. He considered that
as ‗destroying‘ their culture. The main conflict, then, rose when the narrator got a question about an important figure among Machiguenga community who
liked sharing stories. This figure was called ‗storyteller‘ or hablador. Hablador
apparently became a big mystery for the narrator since he was told that this figure made his or her listeners fall asleep before his or her story ended. The mystery
was not easy to solve though. It made him curious and keep finding out if this figure really existed since the Machiguengas kept silent whenever they were asked
about it. During the quest of this figure, later, the narrator felt suspicious that hablador
was his friend, who disappeared from them several years. He tried to figure out if hablador was Saú
l‘s way to emerge with Machiguengas and preserve their inhabitants.
B. Approach of the Study
Considering expressive criticism in Abrams‘ A Glossary of Literary Terms that tries to place a work of literature as a s
ignificant result of author‘s expression, the writer worked with this point of view for this study. Abrams‘ explanation
about expressive criticism states that a work of literature is a product of its author‘s feelings, thoughts, and even psychological conditions. Thus, people can
get a description about what kind of person the author is from his or her work. It can be understood from this quotation.
… it tends to judge the work by its sincerity, or its adequacy to the poets individual vision or state of mind; and it often seeks in the work evidences
of the particular temperament and experiences of the author who, consciously or unconsciously, has revealed himself or herself in it
Abrams, 1999: 51-52.
30
Expressive criticism that sees a work of literature from its relation with the author has led the writer to choose historical-biographical approach from Guerin
for this study. This approach is chosen since it is appropriate with the objective of this study that is to reveal nationalism in the author of The Storyteller. Historical-
biographical itself according to Guerin ‗sees a literary work chiefly, if not exclusively, as a reflection of its author‘s life and times or the life and times of the
characters in the work,‘ Guerin, 1999: 22. To figure out Mario Va
rgas Llosa‘s nationalism, the history of the circumstance surrounding him and also his own life-history are needed. Thus, it
makes the historical-biographical approach suitable because treats a work of literature from its relation with the author and his or her circumstance.
C. Method of the Study
The method mostly used in this study was library research. It means that the data and theories collected were mostly taken from books and references in the
library. Besides, the second important method was through finding other significant sources from the internet.
This study was conducted through a framework structured into three main ways. The first one was getting familiar with the text. This was aimed to help the
writer to be familiar with the literary work chosen and to propose a topic for this study. This way covered some steps. They involve choosing the literary work,
reading it several times, proposing a topic, and formulating three problems. A step