Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
A Tale of Two Cities is published in 1859 the story about a comparison of England and France Revolution. The story described the condition of society between two countries. The author of this novel is Charles Dickens that provides view of the French Revolution and the social structure of the period. In other words, Dickens used the novel to draw attention to the social problems. This novel is novel by Dickens which the setting was in France at 1789. At the times, the poor were far below the upper classes and the poor had no influence upon public affairs. The rich did nothing to help for fear that the poor would want to better themselves when they worked better as cheap labor. The poor suffered from overcrowding, hunger, repetitive labor and long hours of work. The prevailing thought in Dickens’s time was that the aristocrats of France persecuted the poor until they were driven to revolt. Moreover, in this research use sociology of literature as approach to study about social phenomena within literary work.
Based on the sociology of literature, literary work is a reflection of the real life that reveal the phenomena of society that happened within the story in the literary work. A literary work is observer of history that can tell readers the social condition at the time it was written. In other word, literary work is a social historical document that concern on a life of people in a society also written by author imaginatively and fixed in many factors outside of them. However, the
Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia researcher uses social criticism to reveal the social phenomena within literary work.
Ben Cheraa Zahia, 2014 stated that social criticism is criticism portrait social structures in a society which to see the different structure in individual and particular group of society. Therefore, social criticisms point out the negative aspects of the social structures. In other hand, the social structure reform to change the problems that are occurring within the social structure. The society may revolt against the government in order to demand that things change in certain ways to change the social structure of the society.
According to Pyakuruyal, 2001 stated that:
“The term stratification refers to the complex of social institutions that generate observed inequalities. The key components of stratification are:
(a) the institutional processes that define certain types of goods as valuable and desirable (b) the rules across various positions that link individuals to positions and thereby generate unequal control over valued resources.”
Based on the quotation above, the term of stratification refers to the social strata that seen people from the difference class or inequality. There are some components deal with the social structure that explain the system of stratification seen from types of the people from their background. The difference background gives boundaries each group to other groups. The boundaries make the inequality happed in society life.
According to Pyakuryal, 2001 stated that:
“Social stratification has been viewed by Weber in three dimensions:
economic class, social status, and political power (party). Each of these dimensions has its own stratification: the economic, represented by income and the goods and services which an individual possesses: the
Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia social status represented by the prestige and honor and the political represented by the power he exercises.”
Based on the quotation above, from this concept of Weber theory related with social stratification as the way to see the stratification from three concepts such as economic class, social status, and political power (party). From this point of view, the writer interpreted that each concepts of social stratification had their own characteristic which represented the stratification of people such as the economic class represented by income and goods and services which an individual possesses, the social status represented by the prestige and honor and the political power represented by the power he exercises.
According to Lavrentsova, 2009 stated that:
“The social order of the groups in society necessarily involves a certain arrangement or stratification of the individuals and groups along the vertical from top to bottom into horizontal layers (strata). Social inequality is expressed in social structures like the classes. Classes have a fixed position in the system of social production, which is determined by their relation to the ownership.”
Based the quotation above, the term of social order in society related with a stratified society that separated into categories groups to their stratification. The inequality among categories or layer within individual and groups based on vertical structure from top to bottom into horizontal layers (strata). Society position ensure that the most important are filled by the highest order in that strata which determine the relation each layers in the social order itself. However, to see the social stratification of the society in French Revolution Era the researcher reads the story and take the narration that reveal the issue of social stratification within the story. In other word,
Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia the synopsis of the story that show the social stratification issue within the literary work.
The story of A Tale of Two Cities begins in 1780 in The Old Bailey this is the central Criminal Court in London England as Charles Darney stand accused against the English Crown. His friend one of good Lawyers that help Charles Darney to free from his accused. In other hand, Strayer able to make his friend free from the accused of treason against the English Crownd. However, five years later, Lucie Manentte discovered her father, whom she had presumed dead had been imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastile prison in Paris. Lucies meet Charles Darney while in the ship on going to London France. Charles Darney a French ex-patriot and the two fell in love.
Back in France, the cruel Nobel man Marquis St. Evremode runs downd a child with his carriage. Instead of showing any regret after the incident, the Marquis curses the peasant class and hurries home to his estate, where he awaits the arrival of his nephew Charles Darney from England. Charles Darney arrives later that night.
Darney curses his uncle as well as the French aristocracy for abominable treatment of the lower classes. Darney renounces his identity as a St. Evremonde and announces his intention to return to England. That night, the Marquis is murdered. The murderer has left a note signed “Jacques” an anonymous nickname adopted by the French revolutionaries.
Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia The year is 1789. The peasants in Paris storm the Bastille and French Revolutions begins. The revolutionaries murder aristocrats in the streets and Gabelle who the man charged with the maintence of the St. Evremode is imprisoned. Gabelle writes to Darney, asking to be rescued. In the great danger to his person as a St. Evremonde, Darney agrees to help Gabelle and departs immediately for France. However, this social condition is interesting to be discussed because The French Revolution Era is important social phenomena that happened in French.
The French Revolution was a period of radical social condition and political disorder in France. French society underwent massive changes as feudal, aristocratic, and religious privileges ceased to exist. The French Revolution changed the world and even today the French people celebrate the Storming of the Bastille on July 14th 1789 as their national holiday. In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities the setting in England and French revolution era which this story portrait the different social structure within society in French that make the lower class don’t have power to something because the power determined by the social stratification. Finally, analyzing Stratification in French Revolution Era as Reflected in A Tales of Two Cities is really important because can be used to study of historical of French during Revolution such as the condition, the society problem and the important thing the concept of social stratification in French Society during Revolution Era.
1.2. Research Question
Concerning with the background study above the writer is interested to conduct a research on:
Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia How are social stratification during French Revolution Era as reflected in the novel A Tale Two Cities by Charles Dickens?
1.2 Research Objective
Based on the research question above, the researcher wants to describe about social stratification of French societies in French Revolution Era as reflected in A Tales of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
1.4 Uses of Research 1.4.1 Theoretical Uses
To give more information to the future researcher especially literary student about sociology approach and the social stratification in French society during French Revolution Era.
1.4.2 Practical Uses
The writer intends and delivers the paper will give contribution to readers to understand the concept of social stratification in French Revolution Era. However, this research will give the information about how to use the sociology of literature and social stratification by Weber to analyze the social stratification within A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
1.5 Scope of Study
Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia Based on the idea that has been explained in the background of study, the analysis of this research focusses on the social stratification in France during French Revolution Era within the novel A Tales of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
