New Criticism and Metonomy as A Device to Determine Gothic Genre in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Abstract

Abstrak

Cerita Gothic memiliki reputasi memberikan mimpi buruk kepada pembacanya. Cerita horor yang terdapat didalam cerita Gothic berhasil membuat para pecandu andrenaline tetap setia membuka lembar demi lembar halaman Gothic novel. Cerita Gothic yang kekuatan terbesarnya terletak pada bagaimana ia memberikan atmosfer yang menegangkan didalam cerita melalui seting yang suram dan terlantar dimana ia memfokuskan gaya penulisannya tersebut (mendeskripsikan atmosfer) pada symbol (metonymy).    

Dua pernyataan pada persoalan di pembelajaran ini: (1) Bagaimana Gothic dicerminkan di dalam novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket? dan (2) Bagaimana The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket dapat diidentifikasi sebagai novel Gothic? Keduanya sangat penting untuk memberikan informasi lebih lanjut tentang Gothic di dalam penelitian sastra. Penelitian ini tidak bisa lepas dari sejarah dan latar belakang kemunculannya. Fred Botting didalam penelitiannya tentang genre Gothic mengemukakan bahwa Gothic bisa dianggap sebagai reaksi terhadap era Pencerahan. Era ini telah membawa kesadaran di jaman ketidaktahuan. Pemikiran rational telah menggeser agama dalam menjelaskan alam semesta, dunia sosial, dan fenomena supranatural. Pada dasarnya Gothic menjadi jembatan didalam transisi antara Zaman Kegelapan ke Zaman Pencerahan. Itulah yang membuat Gothic memiliki peran penting di perubahan sosial masyarakat.

Gothic yang memiliki banyak keutamaan seperti yang dijelaskan diatas telah berhasil mengundang masyarakat untuk mengetahui lebih banyak tentang cerita Gothic. Karena itu, element yang membentuk cerita Gothic harusnya menjadi prioritas dan teori New Criticism dengan close reading-nya adalah alat yang tepat untuk menemukannya. Selain daripada itu, Metonymy dari Saussure (Bapak linguistik modern) sangat penting dalam memberikan atmosfer horor didalam teks. Metonymy bisa menjadi penanda atmosfer horor yang terdapat didalam teks dalam kepentingannya untuk menentukan sebuah cerita bergenre Gothic. Kedua alat tersebut akan membuat genre Gothic lebih mudah ditemukan. Pada akhirnya setelah dapat menemukan genre Gothic didalam sebuah cerita, peneliti lain dapat meneliti Gothic lebih jauh dan memberikan kontribusi lain didalam perkembangan dunia sastra.

Kata Kunci: Gothic, New Criticism, Metonymy, Elemen Gothic.

Abstract

Gothic fiction has its reputation for giving the reader a nightmare. Horror stories that are contained in gothic fiction succeed to make the adrenaline junkie remain faithful to open each piece of paper of the novel. Gothic stories that have the strongest power in providing an atmosphere of suspense in the story through the gloomy and decayed place or setting is had focuses their style of writing on  describing atmosphere through symbols (Metonymy). Screaming, soundless sound, stormy rain, clanking chain, doors suddenly slamming shut, is some of the symbol that is commonly used in Gothic fiction.

Two statements of the problem in this study which is: (1) How Gothic is reflected in the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket? and (2) How The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket can be identified as Gothic novel? Both are essential to give more information about Gothic in literature study. This study cannot be separated from Gothic history itself and has background for his existence. Fred Botting in his study of the Gothic genre argued that Gothic could be seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment. This age of reason had brought in its wake an air of confusion. Rationalism had even displaced religion as the means through which to explain the universe, the social world and supernatural phenomena. Basically Gothic appear to be “the bridge”, the transition between Middle Age and Enlightenment era. That’s make Gothic genre has its importance in social changes.

Gothic has its importance as described above, in the result, inviting people to know more about Gothic. Elements that indicate Gothic genre must be the first priority and New Criticism theory with its close reading method by John Crowe Ransom is essential to find it. Other than that, Metonymy by Saussure (The father of modern linguistics) has important value to deliver the horror within the text. Metonymy could be the mark of horror that storage in the text in addition to determine Gothic genre. Those two devices would make Gothic genre easier to determine. In the end, after be able to determine Gothic genre in a story, studier could go further in analyzing Gothic and give another contribution in literature.

Keywords: Gothic, New Criticism, Metonymy, Element of Gothic.