Pramoedya Ananta Toer's Novels on Independence Revolution from the Perspective of Journalistic Hegemony

Azman Ismail

doi:10.37052/ml34(1)no4

Abstract

The journalistic hegemony conceptual framework is an approach in the study of literary works in all genres. This framework functions on the principle that a literary work is a creative medium that comprises facts, data and reality that is fictionalized for the purpose of spreading information to its readers, similar to that of conventional media. Based on documentary research and content analysis, this study proves that Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novels on the theme of the Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949)-Di Tepi Kali Bekasi (1951), Keluarga Gerilya (1955), Sekali Peristiwa di Banten Selatan (1963) and Larasati (2003)-are creative media intended to raise awareness among the Javanese marginal class. The focus of this study is to prove that Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novels are creative media designed to create hegemony and mental awareness, both intellectually and ideologically, in the social class he represents. The journalistic hegemony conceptual framework is based on the principle of comparative hegemony by Antonio Gramsci and the communication theory. The hypodermic needle theory places these novels on revolution by Pramoedya Ananta Toer as having the function of spreading information creatively in order to raise awareness and subsequently free the marginal class of false consciousness nurtured by the traditional bureaucratic elites and Dutch colonizers in Java.

Highlights

Literary works in all genres—whether they are novels, short stories, poetry and drama—have a close relationship with the author’s ideology and intellectual leanings
When it comes to novels by Indonesian authors, for example, Pramoedya Ananta Toer (PAT) (1925-2006), who highlighted the theme of the Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949) in Larasati (2003), Sekali Peristiwa di Banten Selatan (1963), Di Tepi Kali Bekasi (1951) and Keluarga Gerilya (1955), can be said to have founded the role of the novel as creative media
PAT uses the “creative reporting” approach to develop hegemonized characters, such as Larasati, Farid, Ranta, Rodjali, Sanimin, Sa’aman, Amilah, Patimah and others, in the four novels revolving around the Indonesian National Revolution

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Literary works in all genres—whether they are novels, short stories, poetry and drama—have a close relationship with the author’s ideology and intellectual leanings. The adaptation directly places novels and other literary works as a medium of journalistic hegemony, referring to an approach for understanding the evolution of a new ideology and intellectual leaning as well as the development of counter-hegemony and war of awareness based on the role of creative media (Azman, 2014: 71-73). Based on the perspective of journalistic hegemony, in the citation, PAT degrades the image and role of the local political elite (Pak Lurah) and, instead, praises the capability of the marginal class (Ranta) in this episode, which displays the presence of counter-hegemony This perspective shows how closely tied is the birth of a literary text to the integration of reality that took place and how it is described fictionally in a form and narrative structure of its own by the author. The relationship between the text, author and reader in journalistic hegemony can be explained in that the author is an organic intellectual who becomes the medium to drive forward the ideology

Literature Class

CONCLUSION