REVIEW

THE BOOMING PHENOMENON OF FANTASY-FICTION NOVELS
THE TWILIGHT SAGA, THE HARRY POTTER SAGA, AND THE LORD OF THE RING TRYLOGY


In these recent years, fantasy-fiction novels have been sold over than billion copies. There are three most remarkable novels in this genre of this century which I would like to highlight. That is; Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer , Harry Potter saga by J.K Rowling and The Lord of the Ring trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien. Those novels have many its own fans-site in the web, and have been made to the white screen. The Lord of the Ring, for example, has been successfully made to movie by a talented director, Peter Jackson, this movie has won 17 out of 30 Academy Awards nominated in total, including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Visual Effects.

Start from 1997, Harry Potter fever has been spread around the world. Each new launching of these novels (from year one to year seven according to Harry’s year schoolings in Hogwarts) is always waited by its fans around the world. Since the night before the day it’s launching, the fans of Harry Potter have been waiting to get the first copy of that novel, running out of patient to read it. These fantastic novels also made into movies, which now still in progress. The fans are now waiting for the 6th movie of Harry Potter; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

And now, the recent phenomenon of fantasy-fiction novels is the Twilight saga. Has been sold over than 42 million copies, it is also made into movie. This far just one novel has been made yet to movie, from four novels sold. This Twilight novels also spread a fever around the world, especially the issue about vampire.

These three stories; Lord of The Ring, Harry Potter, and Twilight have precious moral messages to take. The Lord of The Ring tells us about being strong, brave and loyal to the land which we stand up for. The devotion from Samwise Gamgee towards Frodo Baggins teaches us about friendship and love. Harry Potter series have an issue about friendship. Togetherness among Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger explain about imperfection of a human that only can be solved by completing each other. The power and strength gained by believe and love. Twilight series tells about the worth of love and family, togetherness among families, loves each other are much precious than anything in this life, or in vampire language, “the most precious thing in ‘my existence’”.

But beside, these three novels, according to my opinion, are perhaps problematic. These stories are unrealistic. A fantasy. It is made by the imagination of human which many parts of these novels don’t exist in the real life. The Lord of The Ring describes the fictional land called Middle-earth where there are so many fantastic events occur, something like magic, the power of the darkness and lightness and also fantastic creatures who live there, such as elf, hobbit, wizard etc. In Harry Potter, the story’s core is in the school of witchcraft and wizardry, Hogwarts, where the place is hidden from the eye of humans. This world of magic also has its own government, hidden cities and even witches in other countries around the world. Fantastic creatures also exist, such as Dragon, Hiffogrif, Dementor, elf (which is very different with The Lord of The Ring’s version; in this version the elves described with full of honor, very gorgeous, calm and cool. In Harry Potter’s version elf described as ugly creatures, always cry and sob and punish himself badly if he is mistaken, and having the duty to serve their master--which one do you like the most? Let say; Legolas or Dobby? Well, remember, your decision reflects who you are, ;p) and so many other more. In Twilight story, you even can fall in love with a vampire who has sparkling skin under the sunlight. You can give a birth to a vampire’s baby who also has immortal life. There are also many vampire families around the world who need to drink human blood when they are thirsty. They hunt human every time they need to eat (oh, thanks God human race do not need contraception anymore to hold the increasing of human population). Thanks to Vampire.

Everything could happen in the world of imagination by the way.

These three novels, as far as I know, have fantastic selling (whether its novels or its movies). It can influence the world with its issues. And it is included in the same genre; fantasy-fiction. The booming phenomenon of fantasy-fiction novels make me questioning; since these novels full of imagination, unrealistic events and creatures, fantastic stories, and tell about wonderful, extraordinary power, are the people in the world have more trend to prefer fantasy story than realistic one (drama, comedy etc)? Is this phenomenon a sign of how people in these recent years think and feel, when they are so tired of the real world they face? Do they use this as an escape from the real world they should face everyday? Do they think this world is so bad so they wish the magic and wonderful trick turn it to the goodness? What is your opinion to those questions?

Well, whatever the answers are, these three stories are still precious to color the pop-literature genre.














By Noviana Melaningsih (0608278)

James Joyce's Araby

Novel : Araby

Author : James Joyce

Synopsis

Araby is about a taciturn and shy boy who lived in Dublin. He is somewhat introverted too. He loved a girl, Mangan’s sister, who lived across the street. But, he had no courage to express his feeling. He just could be a secret admirer. One evening the girl asked him if he planned to go to a bazaar called Araby. She would be away on a retreat when the bazaar was held and therefore unable to attend. The boy promised if he went he would bring her something for Araby. The boy’s aunt and uncle permitted him to go on Saturday. When Saturday night came, his uncle returned home late. After much anguished waiting, he got money for the bazaar, but by the time he arrived at Araby, it was too late. The event was closed, and he didn’t have enough money to buy something nice Mangan’s sister anyway. The boy cried in frustration.

Personal Response

I like the story because it is very interesting and entertaining. I like the plot and the writer’s style in describing the characters and guiding his readers through the story itself, thereby seducing them into considering his theme. First, he offers a main character who brings sympathy because of his sensitivity and loneliness. Joyce then provides that protagonist with a specific, dramatic conflict namely the need to impress Mangan’s sister with a gift from Araby. I like poetic words in the story too such as “….her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood and but, my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires”. It also gives me some lessons. For example, from what the main character does and experiences, I can take some lessons that hiding our feeling to someone special can be a torturing and inflicting thing. And we should be able to be more patient when getting bad luck or a bad matter. We should learn to let it go.

When I see the main character in the story, I am remained of the main character in a film titled “Alexandria”. His name is Bagas. His character is similar to the boy’s. He is a taciturn and shy boy who hides his adoration to a girl named Alexandria. Alexandria is his new neighbor. He loves her silently. He has never expressed his feeling to the girl, so she has never known what he feels. Finally he doesn’t get Alexandria’s love, but instead his best friend who gets it. I think if the story is continued, the boy’s fate would be similar to Bagas’s. He will have never got the girl’s love due to he has never spoken his feeling, probably his heart’s worship girl will be taken by another person.

Yana Muhammad Fauzi

060751

English Literature

Andrea Hirata's Laskar Pelangi

Although the move was showed months ago in cinema
I think it's ok I just share it now
hehehehe
;-)

Movie Title : Laskar Pelangi Author : Andrea Hirata

Synopsis

The movie is based on the true story about ten children at some village in Belitung island, Sumatera. The story is about ten Muhammadiyah elementary school children whose school was almost broken and at the night, it was used for being a barn. The school was also almost closed because the lack of student number, which only has 9 students from minimum 10 students required for a school. But, fortunately an abnormal children named Harun saved the school for being closed because at that time, his mother asked the school headmaster to join him in the school because the special school for abnormal was very far and expensive. And then he fit the number of the minimum student requirement required for a school. One of the students named Lintang was a very clever student. He and his friends got many unique events, one of them is when they got very fantastic events when he and his friends were looking for Flo, a student who was also the member of Laskar Pelangi. The climax of the story is when Lintang decided to end his school because his father was died and he was the one who was in charge for his family because he was the eldest son in his family. The climax also is when Belitung people had a conflict with a mine factory that already conquered their field from long ago. Finally, the factory is closed and the people of Belitung owned the mine. And although the school of Muhammadiyah was finally closed, the member of Laskar Pelangi finally got their better education.

Personal Response

The story of ‘Laskar Pelangi’ is a very good one. The movie itself comes first from the novel, and then it becomes a movie. Like ‘Ayat-Ayat Cinta’, the previous novel that was successful to become best seller in Indonesia and was also successful in the most watched movie show, ‘Laskar Pelangi’ is also very successful as the best seller novel and the most watched movie in Indonesia. The novel that is then shown to become the movie is usually has many good aspects. I stress the novel from the moral message side. There are many moral messages in the story such as the struggle of the students to gain the education although they were some limitations. I myself to be honestly pleased with the story because the story is different with many other kinds of movie story nowadays in Indonesia, which mostly tell about romance and humor. This story brings a new color in Indonesia movies, and of course improves the quality of Indonesia movies itself.

Yana Muhammad Fauzi
060751
English Literature B 06

Paul Burke's Father Frank

This is a good one, I enjoy it...
honest!!!
hehehehe

Novel Title : Father Frank

Author : Paul Burke

Synopsis

Francis Dempsey or ‘Frank’ was a little boy who had big curiosity about the existence of God. But he still did everything that common Catholic people did, like came to the church to pray, make confession, baptized, and sang religious song.

When he was 18 years old, he did a test for joining Oxford University; he got bad result in his university examination. Fortunately, the chance to go to university arose. He could study in Oxford University but he had to study Theology. Three years later, again he faced a career choice. In fact, a pattern started to emerge Frank was clearly looking for options, which delayed having to go out and work. He chose to study a subject that did not interest him to avoid going out to work and now, armed with a degree from one of the countries top universities, Frank decided to go into a seminary to spend six years training to become a priest.

Frank was not a good priest, but he was a fantastic one. Everyone loved him, people would do anything for him. One member of his congregation thought so much of Frank that he bequeathed his black cab to him because he feared that Frank might be injured riding his motorbike.

Frank still did not believe in God but he did believe in the goodness of people and he wanted to make their lives happier. He discovered that the currently unused and dilapidated church hall had bags of potential and enlisted the help of the parishioners to convert it into a social club. The club would be run by volunteers and any profits would go to charity. Frank did not do other work for charity. Using his cab to travel round London, he often had people climbed in the back while at traffic lights. He always explained that he was not a licensed black cabbie but that he would happily drive them to their required destination if they would make a donation to the church. It was in this way that Father Dempsey meets Sarah Mitchell, a gorgeous advertising executive. The two were instantly attracted to one another and engineered all kinds of reasons to meet up. But, Nothing romantic or sexual can happened between them - as a Catholic priest, Frank had committed himself to a life of celibacy. Even he did love to his job, but he wanted to continue his life with Sarah. Therefore, he decided to marry Sarah and retired from his job as a priest.

Personal Response

In my opinion, nothing special in the plot; it is general, simple and easy to understand. What I stress in the novel here is the main character of the novel itself. The main character here in the novel, Francis Dempsey or Frank, has special and unusual character and habit. He had curiosity about the existence of god, means he doubts that the god is exist or not, but he still did his religion’s holly activity like came to the church to pray, make confession, baptized, and sang religious song. I honestly confuse about how to consider this person, was he really a catholic? But he doubted the existence of his religion’s god. Or was he an atheist? But he did do his religion’s activity.

My wonder increased when I read the next part of the story that he became a priest. I am confused why Frank, the person who doubted the god became a priest. As I know, in catholic religion, a priest is someone who is expert in the religion problems; he has to know everything about his religion. And how Frank could become an expert in his religion while he himself wondered about the existence of his religion’s god.

I also stress the moral message in the novel. The moral message here is although Frank still did not believe in God, he did believe in the goodness of people and he wanted to make their lives happier. This moral message is the good one in my opinion, because what the message here is there is the good side behind the bad side.

Yana Muhammad Fauzi

060751

English Literature B 06

Pride and Prejudice

After I finished reading the novel, I recognized that i had watched its movie in TV,,

but I didn't know when and where....

:-)

Novel Title : Pride and Prejudice

Synopsis

The story is about Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Bennet. She was from middle-class family and was a plain-intelligent young woman. Once day, she and her family came to the public ball. They met Mr. Bingley there, a man from high-class family who fell in love with Lizzy’s eldest sister, Jane. On the other day, Lizzy met Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy’s relative. He provoked her to hate Mr. Darcy who loved her. She hated Mr. Darcy more because she knew that he tried to separate Jane and Mr. Bingley. When she met Mr. Darcy, he proposed her to marry him. She of course rejected him because of her prejudice. Mr. Darcy then sent Lizzy message to clear her misunderstanding toward him. After Lizzy realized that her prejudice was wrong, she started to love him. Moreover, Mr. Darcy helped her to find Lidya, Lizzy’s youngest sister who ran away with Mr. Wickham. Finally, Lizzy engaged to Mr. Darcy. And Jane engaged to Mr. Binley.

Personal Response

The story of the novel is good enough in my opinion. When we read the novel, of course there are guesses in our mind, especially guessing how the story will end. Thus, although the story plot of novel ‘Prestige and Prejudice’ is simple; it only tells the story from the beginning to the ending and it is easy to understand, the story itself is proven to be uneasy to guess.

The story of novel ‘Prestige and Prejudice’ is not easy to guess, although it has the same simple and easy-understood story plot. It is when Mr. Wickham approached Lizzy, he acted as if he was a good person, and Lizzy liked him too. When I read this part of the story, I confused about who Lizzy will engaged to, and to be honestly, I guessed I doubted that Lizzy will engage to Mr. Darcy because I thought that Mr. Darcy is really a bad person, and because at that time Lizzy was attracted by Mr. Wickham very much as if the story will end so and Mr. Darcy as a looser antagonist side. But when I continued reading the story, I found that Mr. Wickham was proven to be bad person, and Mr. Darcy was the good one. Finally Lizzy engaged to Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham as a looser antagonist side

Yana Muhammad Fauzi
060751
English Literature B 06

Life in the Fat Lane's Cherrie Bennet

Novel Title : Life in the Fat Lane

Author : Cherrie Bennet

Synopsis

Lara Ardeche was a perfect girl with a perfect life. Once day she came to a prom night in her school in Nashville. That was best night in her life because she became a prom queen and everybody was happy but Patty Asher. She thought that Lara was so cruel in offering her help to reduce her weight.

Lara Ardeche was a perfect girl with a perfect life. Once day she came to a prom night in her school in Nashville. That was best night in her life because she became a prom queen and everybody was happy but Patty Asher. She though that Lara was so cruel in offering her help to reduce her weight.

The day after that night, Lara gained a pound. She tried to diet but the more she tried the more she gained her weight. She met her doctor and was diagnosed to have Axell-Crowne syndrome. Her parents could not accept her to be the fat queen. They did not believe that Lara followed the diet program. Lara was stressed because the diet program did not work.

Being fat did not make her confident. She decided to break up with Jett, her boy friend, because she was afraid of disappointing him. Another problem happened when her father was found cheating, thus her family needed to move out from the town to Blooming Woods, Michigan. She also got terrible treatments from her new friends in her new school.

She joined a music class and attended piano lesson. In her piano lesson, she found that being fat or blind would not be obstacles to have great achievements. Her piano teacher was fat but was so great. Devon, her friend was blind but was so good at playing instrument. She found that being so perfect like her mother would not give her guarantee to be happy.

Lara’s weight was reduced and was told that she had a chance to have her weight back to normal. At school, her ex-boyfriend came with her best friend, Molly. Jett said that he missed Lara very much. After that terrific surprise she though that although she was fat, she was still okay.

Personal Response

In my opinion, the novel is categorized to the young-adult reader level. Although it is not adventurous story novel, this is about a teenager story, about how the teenager solves the problem and love story. The story about the teenager who is trying to solve the problem and the story of love are the stories that attract young-adult reader who is mostly a teenager in this reader level. Teenager is someone who is ready to have ‘metamorphoses’ in their life. This is when the teenager changes the character from the young men character to the adult one. This level of age needs the novels that fit them. Thus, the novel like ‘Life in the Fat Lane’ is the novel that fits them, because through this novel, they can learn how to become an adult.

Yana Muhammad Fauzi

060751

English Literature B 06