THE CHARACTERISTICS AND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF JOHN GREEN’S YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

GIARTINA SULISTYORINI, Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, M.Hum

2014 | Tesis | S2 Pengkajian Amerika

Novel young adult literature merupakan karya fiksi yang populer dan digemari terutama oleh para remaja. Walaupun ada banyak tipe dalam jenis karya sastra ini, ketenaran young adult literature yang berjenis realistis merupakan sebuah fenomena baru setelah decade sebelumnya novel dystopia mendominasi karya sastra jenis ini. John Green merupakan salah satu penulis novel realistis young adult literature yang karyanya menduduki posisi bestseller dan mendapatkan banyak penghargaan. Ada sejumlah karakteristik umum yang selalu ditemukan dalam karya sastra jenis ini yang membuatnya menjadi populer. Dua novel karya John Green, Looking for Alaska dan The Fault in Our Stars, dianalisis untuk menemukan karakteristik-karakteristik tersebut yang membuat kaduanya menjadi populer. Selain karakteristik, karakterisasi dari tokoh utama dalam novel juga sangat berperan dalam menentukan kepopuleran karya sastra jenis ini. Dalam menganalisis karakterististik dan karakterisasi tokoh utama dalam novel Looking for Alaska dan The Fault in Our Stars ini teori Reconciliation of Academic Disciplines McDowell akan digunakan sebagai landasan dasarnya. Kemudian lebih jauh lagi, analisis akan menggunakan Characterictics of good quality young adult literature menurut Prof. James Blassingame, Jr., sedangkan dalam menganalisis karakterisasi tokoh utama pendekatannya menggunakan Eight Stages of Psichosocial Development yang dikemukakan oleh Erik Erikson. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa ketujuh Characterictics of good quality young adult literature menurut Prof. James Blassingame, Jr. dapat ditemukan dalam kedua novel John Green, Looking for Alaska dan The Fault in Our Stars. Sedangkan karakterisasi tokoh utama dari kedua novel tersebut dapat diterangkan dengan menggunakan Eight Stages of Psichosocial Development Erikson, dengan penekanan pada fase yang ke-5. Karakteristik umum serta karakterisasi yang khas dari tokoh utama pada karya sastra berjenis young adult literature inilah yang membuat kedua novel tersebut menjadi populer terutama di kalangan pembaca remaja.

Young adult literature novel is a fiction which is popular especially among the young adult readers. There are many types of young adult literature; however, the popularity of realistic young adult literature is a phenomenon because for the past decade dystopian dominated this literature. John Green is one of the most famous authors of realistic young adult literature. His novels are listed in several bestseller lists and receive many awards. There are several general characteristics found in this type of fiction that make it popular. Two of John Green’s novels, Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, are analyzed to find the general characteristics found in this type of fiction that make them popular. Besides the characteristics, the characterizations of the hero and the heroine of the novels also play important role in making this type of literature become popular. In analyzing the general characteristics and the characterizations of the hero and the heroine of the novels Looking for Alaska dan The Fault in Our Stars, McDowell’s Reconciliation of Academic Disciplines is used as the ground theory. Further analysis on the general characteristics uses the characteristics of good quality young adult literature by Professor James Blassingame Jr., while in analyzing the main characters in both novels, Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development is used. The result of the analysis show that Professor James Blassingame’s seven characteristics of good quality young adult literature can be found in both of John Green’s novels, Looking for Alaska dan The Fault in Our Star. While the characterizations of the hero and the heroine in both novels can be explained using Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development, with special emphasize on the fifth stage. The general characteristics and the typical characterizations of this type of literature have made these two particular young adult novels become very popular especially among the young adult readers.

Kata Kunci : young adult literature, karakteristik umum, karakterisasi