From the conversation above, it is figured out that gossip which Jeremy, Anthony, and Charlie share is what they have heard before. Clearly, it destructs
the gossipee‘s credibility, Serena‘s. They endanger Serena‘s reputation because what they gossip is a lie. Therefore, the writer in this research concludes this as a
destructive gossip as Spacks 1985: 4 has classified. This is the same as the last three gossips which are also about Serena. On the contrary, if it is looked from the
gossipers‘ point of view, the pattern is similar to the previous gossips between Chuck, Kati, and Isabel, and Rain, Kati, and Isabel. This gossip functions as
friendship Foster, 2004: 84. Jeremy, Anthony, Charlie, and Nate are friends. As the new comer, Serena is considered as the outsider as the other characters treat
her. The gossips bring them together to share what they know. A friendship keeps going because they need each other. This time, Serena‘s return brings gossips
which make them altogether. This friendship gossip also functions as the boundary between the gossipers, Jeremy, Anthony, Charlie, and Nate and the
gossipee, Serena. The quotation below shows other evidence, that the gossip reinforces the statement that it denigrates Serena.
―Wonder if she even knows who the daddy is,‖ Anthony said. ―I heard there was a pretty major drug thing going on, too,‖ Charlie said.
―She was dealing and got addicted to whatever it was. She was in rehab in Swi
tzerland all summer. After the baby was born, I guess.‖ p. 79.
6. Gossips in GossipGirl.net
In Cecily von Ziegesar‘s Gossip Girl, there is a website which the readers will not neglect called GossipGirl.net. As the website‘s name has called, the
contents within the web seem to be unsure news. It seems that there is a person who watches all the occasion happens among the characters. It also uses initial
names instead of real names. Nevertheless, the Upper East Siders do not have difficulty in guessing whom it is talking about, such as S for Serena and B for
Blair, because they are popular figures that the website always tells about. As have been explained previously, it is mostly about Serena‘s return
which has become the gossips among the characters. The gossips in the website are overly destructive for the gossipee, Serena. It mentions some information why
Serena is back. In fact, the reasons mentioned are merely invalid. The writer in this research classifies them into two parts based on the content of the gossips.
a. Gossip about Serena van der Woodsen’s Disease
The first gossip is about the disease had by Serena. The writer of the website writes that there is someone who is like Serena goes to an STD clinic. In
fact, the girl may be someone else. The writer of the website does not directly write that it is Serena van der Woodsen. She uses her initial name, S instead.
However, the readers of the website may be over thinking that it is Serena van der Woodsen whom the writer talks about.
Also seen: a girl bearing striking resemblance to S, coming out of an STD clinic on the Lower East Side. She was wearing a thick black wig and big
sunglasses. Some disguise. And very late last night, S was seen leaning out of her bedroom window over Fifth Avenue, looking a little lost. p. 38,
Also saw that same wigged girl going into STD clinic downtown. If that is
S, she‘s definitely got a bad case of the nasties. Oh, and in case you‘re wondering why I frequent the neighbourhood of the STD clinic
—I get my hair cut at a very trendy salon across the street. p. 102,
As Spacks 1985: 4 writes, this kind of gossip is really destructive for the
gossipee. In the story, S represents Serena van der Woodsen. Therefore, the gossips in GossipGirl.net destruct Serena‘s reputation because other characters
mentioned in the story tend to define S as Serena. The fact that Serena loses her
