36
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the subject matter which explains the novel I explore in this study, the approach that contains the type of approach I use in analyzing the
nove l, the procedures which explain the steps I conduct in doing this study, the sources which supply the basic information and foundation for the study, and
organization of the study that notifies all the chapters of this study.
A. Subject Matter
The novel I analyzed in this study is a biographical novel entitled A Beautiful Mind. The book was written by Sylvia Nasar and published in 1998 by Simon and
Schuster, Inc. Touchstone Books republished the book again in 2002. It has 619 pages, including prologue, epilogue, notes, select bibliography, acknowledgements,
and index. It is divided into five parts that are: a beautiful mind, separate lives, a slow fire burning, the lost years, and the most worthy. The book has become a New
York Times Best Seller. Sylvia Nasar as the author of the book is the Knight Professor of journalism at Columbia University. She lives in Tarrytown, New York.
A Beautiful Mind tells about a genius of mathematician named John Forbes Nash, Jr. He suffers from a serious mental illness called schizophrenia for about 30
years of his life. It also describes the story of his devoted wife, Alicia Nash, and a small band of loyal friends and peers who value his genius and provided him a safe
shelter. Having recovered from his illness, Nash received the Nobel Prize in 1994 for his achievement in the world of economics.
36 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
37
Reading this novel makes us reflect on its title. Leaving aside philosophical discussions about the nature of the concept of mind, we will wonder about something
which makes the mind of a particular person deserve the adjective beautiful. Llyod Shapley, Nash’s closest friend and also competitor in Princeton, forms a phrase “a
beautiful mind” to describe how genius Nash is. He figures out that Nash’s mind has become the sources of both devastating illness of schizophrenia and his great
achievements in the past year until now. In the other words, there is a beauty in mathematics, which was evident in the elegance, creativity and originality of John
Nash’s contributions to his field. Kathy Robbins, Nasar’s agent, also suggests that Shapley’s loving and lovely phrase becomes appropriate for the title of the book.
Meanwhile, I may suppose Nasar implicitly wants to reveal that Nash’s intelligence extended beyond mathematics as she ever wrote was Nash’s genius to choose a
woman who would prove so essential to his survival Nasar 242. This novel has been made into a movie with the same title. Within the movie,
Nash’s character was outstandingly played by Russell Crowe, an Australian famous actor. It becomes the reason why Crowe’s picture managed to be the cover of this
book. This is by the courtesy of Universal Studios, the company which put Nasar’s work into the big screen. The movie itself won Academic Awards for some
categories. However, Hollywood served a different version of the story though it was adapted from the book. As a result, it still makes the book happen an interesting one.
Nasar exposed sides of Nash that were never even hinted at in the movie. Hollywood managed to leave out some of the best stuff such as Nash’s mistress and his illegal
38
son, the divorce from Alicia, and his remarriage which are never mentioned in the movie.
B. The Approach of the Study
