CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.1 Background of the Research
The aim of literature is to delight and to instruct. It means that literature provides pleasure and at the same time teaches. There are different views on defining pleasure and also the understanding that one can obtain from this teaching. This is like asking people from different country about how beautiful the traditional Javanese dance is. Each person has different opinions about it because of the different view about art. Anyhow, literature must stand in recognizable relation to the real life.
the author wants to convey, that is why it depends on the reader’s capability and knowledge in trying to understand deeper about it.
According to Aristotle in Poetica, the form of literature consist of three types namely Epic, Lyric, and Drama. These three varieties of literary types are then used as the basic reference of three major forms of literature; Prose, Poetry and Drama. These three major forms of literature as the object of literary study can be further distinguished into novel, novella, short story, poem/poetry, play or drama.
Fiction as a genre of literary work, deals in part or in whole, with information or events that are not real, but rather, imaginary and theoretical, that is invented by the author. However, when people read a novel for example, they might experience joy, sadness, anger, and even tension. Such feelings create pleasure to the reader and give some kind of experience. According to Sumerlian (1969):
Fiction generates its idea in innumerable ways, but always representing general ideas or human situations through the characters and events of the story. Fiction is not only as means to convey ideas but also to generate attitude toward ideas. The meaning of fiction must finally be seen in terms of emotions directed toward impressions of experience or toward ideas about life. (Sumerlian, 1969:31).
education and so on. Therefore, in analyzing literary works, including fiction, the intrinsic approach is needed in order to know about the basic content of the text, and in addition to understand the text as a whole. While the extrinsic approach is also very necessary to know deeper about the author, the history or background that lies during the story is written or created, with the assistance of the other theories such as psychology, philosophy, sociology, history and the other theories. These purposes are needed in order to understand text as a whole part so that a text can be interpreted appropriately, and the readers can easily understand about the messages from the story.
One form of Literature that is the most interesting to be analyzed is Novella. Novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. In A Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams (1999) stated that a novella is a short tale in prose. The English word "novella" derives from the Italian word "novella", which means "a little new thing" (Abrams, 1999:110-111). The novella is a common literary genre in several European languages. A novella is not as long and not as complex as a novel, but it has the same principles and it also can portray the real world although it is a fictional piece of writing.
In order to understand the meaning of a literary work, specifically a form of fiction, the researcher intend to conduct a research with a novella entitled The
worldwide, has been categorized as a masterpiece of French Literature and has been said to successfully create a deep impression for anyone who read it (Severson, 2004:164).
The researcher personally interested in this novella for the following reasons; first, TLP is said to be one of the best seller book of all times, both the most read and most translated book in the French language, and was voted the best book of the 20th century in France (The New York Times Book Review, 1995:14). Despite of being a novella, this work is full of philosophical meaning, positive messages and lessons which can evoke a broad discussion and analyzing to makes the readers to think more about the things that really matter in life. Although the story of TLP is relatively short, but it requires a deep understanding to know about the content of this story especially about the messages which the author wants to deliver through this work.
The second reason, even though this work is a classic one but it is very easy to enjoy reading this story. It is also useful to enrich people’s view about life at the same time it can help the readers to face the world wisely.
A.2 Problems of the Research
As it explained in the background of the research, this research will focus in order to answer the following questions:
1. What are the symbols’ meanings in TLP novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry? 2. How the role of symbols help in delivering the author’s point of view about
the difference between childhood and adulthood in TLP novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry?
3. What are the difference between children’s and adult’s point of view in viewing things in life?
A.3 Objectives of the Research
Based on the problem of the research, the research objectives are described as follows:
1. Interpret the meaning of the symbols in TLP novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
2. Analyze the role of symbols in helping to deliver the author’s point of view about childhood and adulthood in TLP novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. 3. Find the difference between children’s and adult’s point of view in viewing
A.4 Significance of the Research
There are two significances of the research; they are explained theoretically and practically.
Theoretically, this research is expected to give positive contribution toward the development of theory in literature, especially in study of symbol. In addition, this research can assist the readers to understand and apply the theory into an analysis.
Practically, this research is hoped to result such new information, knowledge and support for the readers concerning with the study and analysis of symbol in the literary works and also this research is expected to serve as an additional source for those who are interested in do similar research on fiction.
A.5 Limitation of the Research
In regard to the problems, the research will focus only on some aspects of the structural elements of TLP (Characterization and Setting) in order to find and interpret the symbols’ meaning and to analyze the role of symbols in delivering the author’s point of view about childhood and adulthood in TLP by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
A.6 Definition of Key Terms
1. TLP: Refers to The Little Prince novella.
2. Childhood: The state which commonly identical on children; pure, innocent, open-minded, have a very high imagination and full of curiosity.
3. Adulthood: The state which commonly identical on adults; logical, rational, practical, sensible and material-oriented.
4. The Little Prince: The name of the main protagonist of story. This name is a pseudonym created by the narrator to call him (and not an indication that he is a real prince from a certain monarchy), since he never mention about his real name throughout the story. He is a very young boy.
5. The Narrator: The narrator in the TLP story. He is the pilot.
6. The Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of TLP novella.
A.7 Organization of the Research Report
This research is arranged into five chapters:
The first chapter consists of background of the research, problem statements of the research, objectives of the research, significances of the research, limitation of the research, definition of key terms and organization of the research.
The third chapter will stated about the research method, which include; the type of the research, data and source of data, method of collecting data, technique of collecting data and method of analyzing data.
In the fourth chapter of the research, will covers about the data description, data analysis and the discussion result of interpreting the symbols’ meaning, analyzing the roles of symbols in delivering the author’s point of view about childhood and adulthood in TLP by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and to mention about the difference between children’s and adult’s point of view in viewing things in life.
