Happiness, social fantasy, and the Indonesian novel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19105/ghancaran.v8i1.24498Keywords:
characterization, happiness, social fantasy, social structureAbstract
Disinclined to discuss “happiness†in its fundamental context. This study investigates why happiness proves challenging to incorporate as a primary subject in literary works. The prominent focus and originality of this study is the role of happiness concerning the social position, characters, and setting within the narrative structure. Six works: Sitti Nurbaya, Salah Asuhan, Belenggu, Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk, Wasripin dan Satinah, and Bumi Manusia represent storytelling that infrequently portrays happiness. Within these works, a qualitative approach is used in selecting data based on purposive sampling. On the one hand, the analysis requires a conceptual framework on happiness that is grounded in eudaimonia and its subsequent derivative concepts. Eudaimonia translates as “flourishing†or “well-being†and is often equated with living wisely. On the other hand, Žižek’s theory of social fantasy also assists this research by exploring how narratives shape our understanding of the social environment. A fantasy that “teaches us how to desireâ€. The analysis shows that the characters in those novels have the potential to achieve happiness. Nevertheless, the social fantasy of society (the authors) encounters limitations in identifying a model of happiness, prompting an exploration of religious and/or spiritual dimensions. The situations of happiness are more of a pursuit than a reason. Ultimately, this study contributes to contemporary literary criticism related to happiness and social context. The social structuration lies at the state level, where the dominance of ideological frameworks overlooks the fulfilments of (social) justice, humanity, unity, and even divinity.
Downloads
References
Amato, E. S. (2018). The pursuit of happiness and the american regime: political theory in literature. Lexington Books.
Angesty, C. (2024). Representasi bahagia dan kasih sayang dalam novel cara berbahagia tanpa kepala karya henny triskaidekaman: kajian psikologi sastra. JENTERA: Jurnal Kajian Sastra, 13(2), 336. https://doi.org/10.26499/jentera.v13i2.7720
Aristotle. (2000). Nicomachean ethics (R. Crisp, Ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Bücheler-Scott, D. (2018, August 1). Suffering in contemporary literature. Wolf Publishing. https://www.wolfpublishing.com.au/suffering-in-contemporary-literatur
Carr, A. (2004). Positive psychology: the science of happiness and human strengths. Routledge.
Childs, E. (2010). Religious attendance and happiness: examining gaps in the current literature—a research note. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 49(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01528.x
Dhiman, S. (2021). Being good and being happy: eudaimonic well-being insights from socrates, plato, and aristotle. in s. k. dhiman (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Well-Being (pp. 3–32). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30025-8_1
Feldman, F. (2010). What is this thing called happiness. Oxford University Press. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199571178.001.0001
Fetrat, B. (2020). Reflections on the concepts of knowledge, virtue, and self-awareness in socratic philosophy. Addaiyan Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(10). https://doi.org/10.36099/ajahss.6.10.3.
Gilbert, D. (2007). Stumbling on Happiness. Vintage Books.
Ihsan, N. H., & Alfiansyah, I. M. (2021). Konsep kebahagiaan dalam buku tasawuf modern karya Hamka. Analisis: Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 21(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24042/ajsk.v21i2.9636
Jayanti, A. K. (2022). Representasi kebahagiaan dalam trilogi novel negeri 5 menara karya Ahmad Fuadi: tinjauan psikologi positif [Thesis, Universitas Negeri Malang]. https://mulok.um.ac.id/index.php?p=show_detail&id=117053
Kayam, U. (1992). Para priyayi: sebuah novel. Pustaka Utama Grafiti.
Koester, T. (2017). The meaning of suffering in literature and life. Journal Student Research, 16, 22–30.
Kuntowijoyo. (2000). Mantra pejinak ular. Penerbit Buku Kompas.
Kuntowijoyo. (2003). Wasripin dan Satinah. Penerbit Buku Kompas.
Lama, D., & Culter, H. C. (1998). The art of happiness: a handbook for living. Hodder and Stoughton.
Manson, M. (2018). Sebuah seni untuk bersikap bodo amat (F. Wicaksono, Trans.). Grasindo.
Martin, M. W. (2007). Happiness and virtue in positive psychology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 37(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5914.2007.00322.x
Martins, J. C. O. (2024). Plural representations of happiness in contemporary literature: between the dramatic and the humorous. In L. Magalhães, M. J. Ferreira Lopes, B. Nobre, & J. C. Onofre Pinto (Eds.), Humanistic Perspectives in Happiness Research (pp. 21–36). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38600-8_2
Mbembe, A. (2019). Necropolitics (S. Corcoran, Trans.). Duke University Press.
Moeis, A. (1928). Salah asuhan. Balai Pustaka.
Norton, B. M. (2012). Fiction and the philosophy of happiness: ethical inquiries in the age of enlightenment. Bucknell University Press.
Pane, A. (1988). Belenggu. P.T. Dian Rakyat.
Prawihardjo, S. (1978). Kedokteran jiwa dan pedukunan. Berkala Ilmu Kedokteran (Journal of the Medical Sciences), X(3).
Rusli, M. (1992). Sitti nurbaya: kasih tak sampai. Balai Pustaka.
Sati, T. S. (1991). Sengsara membawa nikmat. Balai Pustaka.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Free Press.
Smith, N. D. (2021). Socrates on self-improvement: knowledge, virtue, and happiness. Cambridge University Press.
Solihin, & Anwar, R. (2008). Ilmu tasawuf. CV Pustaka Setia.
Sumanto. (2011). Kesejahteraan subyektif menurut Ki Ageng Suryomentaram (kasm) dalam perspektif psikologi kontemporer. Buletin Psikologi : Fakultas Psikologi Universitas Gadjah Mada, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.22146/BPSI.11545.
Toer, P. A. (1980). Bumi manusia. Hasta Mitra.
Tohari, A. (2003). Ronggeng dukuh paruk. PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Vlastos, G. (1984). Happiness and virtue in socrates moral theory. Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society, 30(210). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0068673500004685.
Zhoafir, M. (2024). Religiusitas dan konsep kebahagiaan tokoh utama dalam novel cinta dalam sujudku karya Diana Febi: kajian psikologi positif Martin Seligman. Maliki Interdisciplinary Journal (MIJ). 2(4), 425–433. https://doi.org/10.18860/mij.v2i4.4560.
Žižek, S. (2006). The parallax view. The MIT Press.
Žižek, S. (2008). The sublime object of ideology. Verso.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Ghancaran: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia uses an Open Access Policy under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Authors publishing in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Ghancaran Journal holds the copyright and grants the journal rights for first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a
The work is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License which allows others to share, copy, and redistribute the material in any media or format and adapt, remix, change, and develop the material even for commercial purposes, as long as it is stated credit and license derivative works under similar terms. - Authors may make additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published work version.
- Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their websites) before and during submission, as doing so may lead to productive exchange.
