CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1. The Background of Analysis
Literature refers
to compositions that tell stories, dramatize situations, express emotions, and analyze and advocate ideas
(Roberts, 1995:1). Before the invention of writing, literary works were spoken or sung. The word
literature, basically, comes from the Latin “littera” which refers to the written or
printed works (Kasim, 2005:1). Literarture sprang up from the imaginative mind of people who had
talent to create stories. They perceived what was happening around them from neutral
phenomena to the lives of the people in their community.
Literature helps people grow, both
personally and intellectually as it provides an objective base for knowledge and
understanding. It makes people to understand human dreams, desires and struggles that happen in
different places and times.Literature may be classified into
four genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and nonfiction prose (Robert, 1995:2). Prose
fiction, or narrative fiction, includes myths, parables, romances, novels, and short stories.
As one of the literary genres, prose is known as the least complicated literary genre.
Originally, fiction meant anything made up, crafted, or shaped, but today the word fiction refers to
prose stories based in the author’s imagination.
The essence of fiction is
narration, the relating of a sequence of events or actions. Works of fiction usually focus on one or a few major
characters that undergo a change of attitude or character as they interact with other
characters and deal with problems.
Literature cannot be separated
from its creator as it is a reflection of the thought of its author. Literature deals with human in
society. Literature can be combine with other branches of knowledge, such as socioliterature, in this
case with Fatalism.
Fatalism
is the belief that events are decided by fate and people have no control of it.
Fatalism comes from Latin“fatum”
which means is spoken, decreed. It is the doctrine that all things happen according to a prearranged fate,
necessity or inexorable decree. (Quoted from http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Fatalism). The
essence of the fatalistic doctrine is that it assigns no place at all to the initiative of
the individual, or to rational sequence of events. The key component of fate is no matter what choices
were made in the past, or what actions are taken in the future, the event determined by
Fate will happen.
Fatalism can be found in several
literary works of English writers, especially in Thomas Hardy’s works. He was long considered
one of England’s foremost nineteenthcentury novelists. Thomas Hardy was mainly
known for his contribution in the naturalist movement.
Thomas Hardy (1840 – 1928) was an
English author, poet and naturalist. He was born at Higher Bockhampton, a hamlet in the parish
of Stinsford to the east of Dorchester in Dorset, England, where his father worked as a
master mason and building contractor. His huge popularity lies in the large volume of
works, together known as the Wessex stories.
These novels, plotted in a
semi-fictional place, Wessex, fictitious English county closely resembling Hardy's native Dorsetshire. Most of
his works reflect his sense of cataclysm in human life. As both poet and author, Hardy
displayed his mastery in dealing with themes of disappointment in love and life, human
suffering and all-powering fate. Most of his works deals with social tragedy and often have a
fatalistic end, with many of the characters are suffering because of unanticipated conditions.
Fate plays an important role in most of his books and remains the centre of most of his
works. His characters always find themselves trapped and are often defeated by the fate and
unforeseen conditions (Quoted from http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thomas-hardy-32.php).
In addition to that, John Peck and Martin Coyle (1984:115) in their book
also states, “…he reads a tragic significance into the lives of his characters…Hardy at
times also toys with the idea that human life might be controlled by Fate.” Because of several of
Thomas Hardy’s works deals with all-powering fate, his first book entitled Far from the Madding Crowd
(1874), obviously dealt with fate, a power which has control of human and no human could resist
it. Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) was Thomas Hardy’s first work that gained notice
and brought popularity to him as a writer. After its success, Hardy convinced that he could
earn his living by his pen and then he gave up architectural work. Devoting himself entirely
to writing, for over the next twenty-five years, Hardy produced a series of novels, such as The
Return to the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Jude
the Obscure, etc.
For the convenience, I will
abbreviate the title of the novel Far
from the Madding Crowd into FMC.
FMC is a story about a young farmer who loves unselfishly a beautiful but egotistical independent young woman. Although
he is rejected by the woman at first, yet he still supports her and become a reliable and
faithful friend for her. Fate, somehow, finally brings them together in such way to the
happiness. FFMC is really an exciting novel.
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