People
read book, enjoy the narratives and then the query arises: can we
simply enjoy a book, let say, a fiction, without considering its
interpretation?
When
people read a certain fiction, for example, Shakespeare’s Othello, one
person may have different opinion with others. Somehow, since
Shakespeare’s now dead and he did not write a paper entitled “What
‘Othello’ Really Means” so we will not be able to know about
Shakespeare’s opinion of his work, Othello. Ten different opinions about
Shakespeare’s Othello are possible to happen. So, can a story have more
than one interpretation? If yes, which one that can be considered as
the most valid interpretation?
In
a broad sense, interpretation can mean all the action involved in our
reading from apprehension, appreciation to analysis. Here I will define
it more in terms of "text analysis": that is, to interpret is to
"explain and clarify the meaning of" a text so that its rich meanings
can be understood.
Literary
works, some of them are in form of letter. It can be fictions, poems,
and dramas but the form is clear: words, sentences or we can say it as
text. Since we are dealing with text, we can use literary device to gain
meaning from the text.
Literary
device covers both literary elements and literary technique. Literary
elements refer to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole
text. While literary techniques refer to any specific, deliberate
constructions or choices of language which an author uses to convey
meaning in a particular way.
Basically, literary elements can be divided into five. They are setting, plot, characters, theme and point of view.
1.) Setting
The
element of fiction that reveals the where and when of events is called
setting (Klarer, 1999: 39). Setting has some elements like:
a. The actual geographical location, including topography, scenery, even the details of a room’s interior
b. The moods of day to day existence of the characters
c. The time in which the action takes place, for example: historical period, season of the year, even time of day
d. The religious, moral, intellectual, social and emotional environment (Klarer, 1999: 41).
There are some functions of setting as follow:
1.
Setting as metaphor: sometimes in fictions, we encounter details of
setting that seem to function as a projection or objectification of the
characters or of a pervasive spiritual condition.
2.
The creation of Atmosphere. It is the air we breathe as we enter the
world of the literary work. It is a kind of mood or emotional aura,
suggested primarily by setting. A cheerful atmosphere created by a
bright, sunlit setting may serve as a contrast to the dark and troubled
inner state of the character (Klarer, 1999: 41).
2.) Plot
Plot is the sequence of events in a story. The plot usually proceeds this way:
a. a tranquil situation involving a main character is related
b. a conflict develops
c. complications arise from the main character's attempts to find a solution to the conflict
d. the complications eventually result in a climax
e.
the climax is followed by a resolution to the conflict
returning the situation to a state of relative calm (Braiman, 2007).
3.) Characters
Characters
are the people, animals, or beings in a fiction while characterization
is the author’s means of conveying to the reader a character’s
personality, life history, values, physical attributes, etc also refers
directly to a description thereof. Basically, characters are divided
into protagonist and antagonist. Protagonist is the main character in a
story, the one with whom the reader is meant to identify. The person is
not necessarily “good” by any conventional moral standard, but he/she is
the person in whose plight the reader is most invested. Antagonist is
counterpart to the main character and source of a story’s main conflict.
The person may not be “bad” or “evil” by any conventional moral
standard, but he/she opposes the protagonist in a significant way
(Braiman, 2007).
According
to Paris (1996: 1), character in a fiction is portrayal of human being.
To understand the behavior of realistically drawn characters can be
done in the same way in understanding the behavior of real people. These
characters are not flesh and blood creatures, of course, but are
imagined human beings who have many parallels with people like
ourselves. That is why, the approaches like psychology and philosophy
can be used in analyzing characters in fiction as the same way those
approaches are used to analyze the real human being.
In
analyzing the character of a fiction, sometimes, there exists conflict.
The conflicts that sometimes appear in a fiction can be between:
a. Character versus Man
It is conflict that pits one person against another.
b. Character versus Nature
It
is a run-in with the forces of nature. On the one hand, it expresses
the insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of
things. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a person’s strength
and will to live.
c. Character versus Society
The
values and customs by which everyone else lives are being challenged.
The character may come to an untimely end as a result of his or her own
convictions. The character may, on the other hand, bring others around
to a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that society was
right after all.
d. Character versus Self
Internal
conflict. Not all conflict involves other people. Sometimes people are
their own worst enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a
character’s values. The internal conflicts of a character and how they
are resolved are good clues to the character’s inner strength (Braiman,
2007).
4.) Theme
The theme is the main idea or message a literary work conveys. A theme may be stated or implied (Braiman, 2007).
5.) Point of View
Point
of view is the relationship of the narrator or storyteller to the
story. It may be third-person (no narrator; abstract narrative voice,
omniscient or limited) or first-person (narrated by a character in the
story or a direct observer).
Another kind of Literary Devices is Literary Technique. There are some of Literary Techniques as follow:
1.) Imagery
A
single word can be an image. Image is the evocation through words of a
sensory experience while imagery is simply the collection of images in
the entire work or in any significant part of the work. Images may be
either literal or figurative. A literal image involves no necessary
change or extension in the meaning of the words. Since fiction deals
with people, places, and things, and their relationships in action, it
depends heavily on literal imagery. It is to satisfy the reader’s demand
for specific, concrete detail and the desire to know how things look,
sound, smell, taste or feel. While figurative images is images that
must be understood in some sense other than the literal (Klarer, 1999:
73).
2.) Figurative Languages
Any
use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual
literal meaning of the words themselves. There are many techniques which
can rightly be called figurative language, including metaphor, simile,
allegory, hyperbole and personification (Braiman, 2007: 3).
a.
Metaphor: a direct relationship where one thing or idea
substitutes for another. It refers to a meaning or identity ascribed to
one subject by way of another. In a metaphor, one subject is implied to
be another so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and
shared traits. The first subject, which/who is the focus of the
sentences, is usually compared to the second subject, which is used to
convey/carry a degree of meaning that is used to characterize the first.
The purpose of using a metaphor is to take an identity or concept that
we understand clearly (second subject) and use it to better understand
the lesser-known element (the first subject). The comparison in metaphor
remains implicit, the statement seems to assert an identification
(Klarer, 1999: 73-74)
b.
Simile: an explicit comparison of markedly dissimilar objects
or entities, involving the use of such comparative words as “like” or
“as” (Klarer, 1999: 73)
c.
Allegory: a symbolism device where the meaning of a greater,
often abstract, concept is conveyed with the aid of a more corporeal
object or idea being used as an example. Usually as rhetoric device, an
allegory suggests a meaning via metaphoric examples (Braiman, 2007: 1).
d.
Hyperbole: a description which exaggerates, usually employing
extremes and/or superlatives to convey a positive or negative attribute;
“hype.” (Braiman, 2007: 4).
e.
Personification: where an abstract concept, such as a
particular human behavior or a force of nature, is represented as a
person (Braiman, 2007: 5).
What
is the differentiation between interpretation and appreciation? The
dictionary definition of appreciate is "to evaluate the quality or value
of a certain thing." Literary appreciation as I define, involves not
only evaluation but also personal, impressionistic, or emotional
apprehension of the work we read. This emotional/ personal aspect of
reading is very important for us; it usually decides whether we want to
go on studying a work and how we are going to do it. However, personal
appreciation can lead to subjective and vague judgment, which is the
kind of literary appreciation we want to avoid.
Then,
what literary criticism is defined? Bressler (1988: 3) defines literary
criticism as the act of studying, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating
and enjoying a work of art. Considering the relationship between
literary works and the function of literary criticism, we can see that
literary work can only exist if work of art exists. Without the work of
art, the activity of criticism cannot exist.
(Sayang sekali saya lupa sumber dari tulisan ini, lain kali kalau ketemu akan saya tambahkan catatan ya....)
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