Reading between the lines in 'Bisik-Bisik'<\/p>\n
Sunu Wasono, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As its name suggests, a short story must be brief, inevitably
\nlimited in terms of the scope of events and characters. Like a
\nnovel, a short story conveys its message through narration and
\ndialog.<\/p>\n
It cannot present an overly complicated event (hence the rare
\nuse of flashbacks), and character description cannot be as
\ndeveloped as in a novel. Its most important elements are the
\nstory, characters and setting in making the whole package.<\/p>\n
But there are no absolute rules in literature, or else we
\nwould have had no Joyce or Faulkner. Bisik-Bisik flouts the usual
\nconventions of the short story, almost doing away with narration
\nin shaping the story and characters.<\/p>\n
Reda Gaudiamo starts and continues all of her 27 short stories
\nwith dialog. Some may consider this device to be Reda's aversion
\nor inability to use narration effectively. Yet from another
\nstandpoint, the author can be considered as providing a \"record\",
\nthe substance for the reader to make an interpretation without
\nthe judgmental commentary of narration.<\/p>\n
It's a neutral stance, with it up to the reader to fill in
\ntheir own narration of the relationship between the characters.<\/p>\n
From the very beginning, the writer realizes \"the abnormality\"
\nof the format she chooses for her stories. The word \"format\"
\nsuggests something technical, and the issue is whether there is a
\nrelevant relationship between the unconventional format and the
\ntheme of the stories, instead of merely being an unusual,
\nattention-getting approach.<\/p>\n
It is said that any theme may be explored for a story, because
\nwhat matters is how the theme is embodied. That's why it is also
\nsaid that a good idea will be useless unless it is conveyed in
\nthe right way. On the other hand, a bad idea remains exactly
\nthat, no matter how well it is evinced in a story.<\/p>\n
The unconventional format works well with Reda's choice of
\ndialog themes, which cover relationships between husbands and
\nwives, brothers and sisters, lecturers and university students,
\nparents and children and teachers and pupils. Constraints in
\ncommunication and relationship imbalances are at the core of each
\nstory.<\/p>\n
\"In Makan Bersama (Eating Together), for example, we have
\ndialog between two people discussing what food they must have. It
\nreveals the dominance of one over the other, the one an
\n\"interrogator\", the other merely providing answers which prompt
\nyet more questions.<\/p>\n
The same tendency is found in Nonton (Watching a Film) and
\nSkripsi (Thesis). In Nonton the two characters fail to reach an
\nagreement on what to watch, and communication takes place
\nhaltingly.<\/p>\n
In Skripsi, an underlying distrust undermines the relationship
\nbetween a student and his supervisor. Although the student tries
\nto defend himself, the supervisor is full of prejudice, and their
\nrelationship ultimately collapses amid their miscommunication.<\/p>\n
The dialog is not dialog at all because real communication can
\nonly take place when the two sides understand each other's words.
\nAny communication that the characters wish to build fails because
\neach talks to themselves, failing to capture the signal that
\ntheir interlocutors send them.<\/p>\n
It is also shown by the use of ellipsis throughout the
\nstories, with sentences trailing off, words left unsaid, the dots
\nsignifying the annoyance, dissatisfaction or even despair.<\/p>\n
The short stories in Bisik-Bisik are quite different from
\npreviously published works. Putu Wijaya in his Zat (Substance)
\ncollection also tried something new, with the use of diaries,
\npoems and short stories mixed into one.<\/p>\n
But Bisik-Bisik presents a variety of problems in one single
\nand consistent \"abnormal\" format of a stream of dialog. Like Zat,
\nBisik-Bisik, which has a preface by writer Supardi Djoko Damono,
\nmay receive mixed responses from critics and readers. At any
\nrate, reading the short stories will allow readers to \"whisper\",
\nor shout, their view of Reda's bold and unconventional work.<\/p>\n
Bisik-Bisik (Whispers)<\/p>\n
Reda Gaudiamo<\/p>\n
Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia, 2004<\/p>\n
160 + xvi pp<\/p>\n
Rp 30,000<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reading-between-the-lines-in-bisik-bisik-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }