73. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.
1, Juni 2017
SNAP TO READ
THE CHICKLIT OR TEENLIT: A SYMBOL OF
TEENAGERS MOVEMENT IN INDONESIA’S
LITERATURE
Hiqma Nur Agustina
Universitas Islam Syekh-Yusuf Tangerang
[email protected]First received: 19 April 2017 Final proof received: 18 May 2017
Abstract:
One of the genres of literature which becomes the trending topic in
Indonesia is Chicklit or Teenlit. It reveals about young women and their
life in many aspects. Mostly the arise of the new writers supported by
the media, both electronic or printed, which become the tool to make
them famous. Media’s power has taken a part to create their existence,
mostly they are young generations in Indonesia; they also contribute
the growth of the creative industry. They just became the new public
figures like actress or actors who dominate the news in media. This
paper is intended to analyze the significant role of media in creating
the young new writers in Indonesia, especially one outstanding name,
Debbie Widjaja. She has written four novels categorized as Teenlit.
The qualitative method, the media, and society’s theory will be used to
analyze this research. The results of this study showed the media’s role
give the important part in creating the new public figures in Indonesia.
The media has a strong power to embody someone’s dream to be true
in a good and potential way. Media construct people’s life from zero to
be hero. By having this profession, as a young, fresh, and prospective
writer, she has inspired many teenagers in Indonesia. Since there isn’t
any strict limitations or ideal criteria to produce Teenlit, everybody
who fulfilled the publisher’s criteria can publish their writings. This
becomes the new movement for young generations in Indonesia to
have a career in literature world.
Hiqma Nur Agustina, The Chicklit or Teenlit...74.
Keywords: Chicklit, Indonesia literature, movement, symbol, teenlit,
teenagers
A literature was named as popular because of the themes, the way
of presenting the language’s technique, and the writing follows a common
pattern that was popular with the public audience, including in Indonesia.
Teenlit does not only entertain, but also can be enjoyed as a work of art.
Teenlit in the form of the novel is not only seen as a barometer of social
development, culture, and economy of the people, but also for the world’s
society. Teenlit’s phenomenon is one marker of a resurgence of popular
literature in the Indonesia’s literary which was dormant for a while (Riana,
2016). The presence of teenlit novels in Indonesia’s literature can affect the
interests and reading culture for the adolescents in Indonesia. Those who do
not love reading ‘the real literature’ tend to choose teenlit. It is because of the
language and themes used are lighter and easier to digest, so they are easier
to understand what is conveyed by the author (Wahyudi, 2012).
On the development, teenlit has created its own world. Starting from
the readers, publishers, printing company until spawned communities of
loyal fans. With the trend of creating teenlit also trigger the emergence of
young writers who are creative and energetic. Teenlit refers to the work of
young writers who cater to the teens readers, since teenlit has the abbreviation
of teen literature. The presentation that resembles the writing of the diary
and the story and language selection are lightweight and easy to understand
to make a lot of teenagers in love. In Teenlit’s novel, teenagers become the
central. The situation takes place in school, talks about friendships with a
group or in terms of teen-called ‘gang’, presents luxury lifestyle and glamor,
romance, until the juvenile delinquency are identical in the teenlit’s novels.
The developments such as renewal of the genre can never be
circumvented in Indonesia’s literature. Good literary form of novels, short
stories, poems and others will continue to experience renewal. Literature
itself must be able to position itself in accordance with the existing situation.
75. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.1, Juni 2017
Teenlit or young adult novels is one genre that was liked by many people.
Teenlit novels began to bloom in Indonesia since the 2000s. Teenlit novel
itself was initially just a teen novel translation of West teen novels. Teenlit
which is now rampant in America, Australia, and spread in Indonesia, is
actually a contemporary tales that successfully combines the two needs, the
needs of the community will mirror themselves and the society needs ‘dream
world’. Meanwhile the serious short stories can be said meet the needs of
‘emotional and intellectual recreation’ as well as ‘reflection’ readers.
The emergence of teenlit’s novels which were preferred by teenagers
and written by teens has given a new color to the development of Indonesian
literature. The emersion of teenlit was also accompanied with the pros and
cons of various people. The contradiction that arise due to assume the style
of language used in teenlit not use the Indonesian language, the content
is also considered too light and weightless, and the lifestyles that tend to
lead to the cultures of western’s lifestyle. Apart from the rise counter to the
existence of teenlit’s novels, it should still be given the support to young
writers who already spawned their work. Only the necessary updates to the
writings of teenlit’s novels to remain comfortably read by teenagers, but also
in accordance with the rules of Indonesian literature.
Teenlit has evolved since in the 1970s in Indonesia, such as the first
novel Ali Topan Anak Jalanan by Teguh Esha and Roman Picisan by Eddy
Iskandar. Some Indonesia literature observers say that teenlit is rooted from
the literary development of the West. The birth of a new genre called teenlit
was pioneered by Bridget Jone’s Diary novel written by Helen Fielding
(Iriana, 2016). The presence of teenlit in the literary treasures of Indonesia
cannot be separated from the polemics or controversy. Some have argued for
the existence and some sued. The first party argues that teenlit is a natural
development for freedom of expression which is increasingly guaranteed by
the Indonesian government after the reform. Meanwhile, both parties looked
at teenlit ‘not literature’. The assumption that teenlitis too light and not lifting
things that are crucial to the community is one form of a lawsuit against
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Hiqma Nur Agustina, The Chicklit or Teenlit...76.
teenlit. Additionally, teenlite is considered damaging to the slang language
used in it. The existence of Indonesian was impressed unpatterned well in the
teenlit. In terms of content, teenlite is accused of being a genre that consider
Western culture such as kissing with the opposite sex, talking about sex,
parties is a natural thing applied. The style of colorful life imitate Western
styles was also applied. So the short skirts and tight clothes contributed to
the trend of today.
THE EXISTENCE OF INDONESIA CHICKLIT AND TEENLIT
Chiklit stands for Chick literature, which means the literature which
tells the story of a young woman. Chiklit also defined as works of popular
literature that tells about the daily life of the city as well as a single woman
and her modern pattern thought. The light presentment, entertaining, and not
formal become its trademark. Chiklit was directed at mature girls markets
aged 17-35 years, while teenlit was directed at groups of younger women
that is Junior and Senior High School students (Riana, 2016; Kurnia,2016).
The burgeoning of teenlit phenomenon cannot be separated from the
presence of teenagers, both the existence of the world of adolescence as
setting the story nor the nature of adolescents as a reader or consumer or where
the teenager as the author. Associated with the setting of the story, the novel
revolves around the teenagers’ world, especially teenage girls (Kusmarwanti,
2005). Thus the intended of the target audience is young women. By
reading the teenlit novels, they are finding their world. Psychologically, in
adolescence they began to move away from their parents and get closer to the
social group, namely fellow teens (Hurlock, 1994). Accepted by the social
group becomes a great hope for the youth. Through the world in the story of
teenlit, teenager indirectly feel finding a social group that they are looking
for. Here they establish their identity. One way to establish this identity is
to find a model of those in the vicinity.
This novel’s genre is also discussed so often and received
overwhelming response from their fans. As the evidence of “teenlit”
77. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.1, Juni 2017
phenomena could be printed in many times in Indonesia. For example, a
novel entitledDealovawritten by Dyan Nuranindya sold 10 thousand copies
in just one month (Kurnia, 2016). And Dealova has also been made into a
movie. Teenlit’s novel later became Best Seller overrun Indonesian teenagers
because of its light theme, characterized by a front cover of teenlit that has
designed full color (mostly with pastels). The styles has vector art and titles
were teenagers’s favourit.
According to Denny Indra S. (2008), the editor from Gagas Media’s
publisher, teenlit’s novels become popular because it is not burdened with
many complicated missions. “There is no complex structure, profound
reflection, or ideas to be conveyed”. Chiklit and teenlit are more likely diary
used as a novel. Another opinion is from Siska Yuanita, Gramedia’s copy
editor, a famous publisher name in Indonesia are known to spawn many
chicklits that became Best Sellerabout teenlitnovels. According to Siska,
the success of chicklit or teenlit is not dependent on the weight or light of
the ideas to be conveyed. “All is related with how the writers could deliver
the message to the readers”. The heavy idea written by the writer if can be
delivered poppy, it will be lighter. “Whatever it is, teenlit has become a new
phenomenon among teenagers in Indonesia.”
The effect of the rising of many publishers that publish teenlit’s
novels impact on the presence of reading raises a number of young writers
in Indonesia. The countless writers teenagers exist now. Both of the children
or teenagers haveenlivened the world of literacy. This of course becomes
good news that needs to be appreciated. Their presence in the realm of
literacy’s world was admirable, because they contribute to society and future
generations to be able to read, in order to reduce the number of illiterates.
However, the emergence of teenlit’s novel and the writer recognized by
other authors and books’ practitioners will issue a subtle competition. It can
be seen from the number of writers who are more and more. Moreover, the
theme is similar which is about love and intricacies of teenage promiscuity.
According to Nadia (Annida, 2007), one of the authors of young adult
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Hiqma Nur Agustina, The Chicklit or Teenlit...78.
novels in Indonesia, the majority of teenlit novels was describing teenage
life and its problems, but only as a mere snapshot. They do not provide the
educational solutions. In fact, according to Nadia, a work function should
be more than just an entertaining reading. But also there are values offered
as well as contribute apparent in adolescents. Nadia has not seen no strong
trace of authorship which has the echo from the author themselves. The
author of teenlit’s novels must improve the content of their writing if they
want to become a serious writer.
We should remember that a writing tends to be entertaining generally
will not last long. Especially those do not have value in. No wonder if the
genre teenlit and chiklit in one time will be eroded by time and replaced with
another genre of writing, unlike the serious nature of literature. Therefore,
teenlit or chiklit must be transformed to defend its existence. Perhaps it
is time to bring other aspects, such as the substances of cultural shift to
urban agrarian society. In terms of content, the novel tells the story of teen
romance, friendship, hostility, or adventure. While the language used is slang
or language typical of city teens. Teenlit is as part of a teen novel presenting
stories of city teenagers in schools, especially for junior high to high school.
Behind the controversy of teenlite, its content concerned with adolescent
directly which caused it continues to grow. Then it was followed with the
other teenlit with different styles. Everything becomes a representation of
life today’s teenagers. The adolescents are being the main readers of this
genre as representative of teenage life in the present era naturally. The main
discussion was written by many writers of teenlite is about teenage life in
the real world and in the author’s world. Some models tell how teenagers
dress that tends luxurious and follow the latest trends, both of shirts, pants,
shoes, bags, and even all the accessories, those considered contrary to the
values espoused by adults. For example: young people who are wearing
shorts, tank tops or miniskirts. Those style were contrary to the values of
decency prevailing in Indonesia which are Moslem as the majority and also
cling to the East culture.
79. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.1, Juni 2017
DEBBIE WIDJAJA: A YOUNG POTENTIAL INDONESIAN
WRITER
One of the famous teenlit novelists in Indonesia which has many fans
is Debbie Widjaja. She was born in Jakarta, May 15, 1989. Her first debut
began in 2005 until now. Some of her novels are categorized Teenlit already
produced, they areNot Just a Fairy Tale (2005), Honey Money (2010), Follow
@MerryRyana (2013), and Meters per Second (2013). Debbie’s teenlit
novels as the object of the discussion of this paper are fullfilled the criteria
of teenlit’s novel in some aspects. Those are the teenagers’ lifestyle, the
language is simple and light, the theme is not complicated and entertaining
the readers in the level of teenagers. Among the four novels of Widjaja,
Honey Money is taken as the object of the discussion to make the analysis
is focussed on one novel.
The actors behind Widjaja’s motivation to choose a profession as
a writer is due to her passion for writing since she was 6 years old. Later,
after she was studying in Psychology, Widjaja knows the term of Catharsis.
Catharsis means pouring hidden emotion, so she could decide the storyline by
her own style. Some of the stories she wrote came from her own experience
when she broken heart or had happy moment in her life. One interesting
thing when Widjaja did not intend to make the profession of writing as the
sole job is because she “feel going to run out of ideas and inspiration if the
whole day she had to write continuously. I would rather choose a normal
job, to met a lot of people and meet the conflict in the office. Then she starts
to write at night “(Widjaja, 2015).
Like other writers, Widjaja (2015) also gets a lot of inspirations when
hanging with friends, waiting for the bus, and lookingat the man who is being
admired. While the biggest challenge being a writer for her is self-defeating
laziness. Writing is related to self-management, which requires the person
who decided to become a writer for the discipline and challenge themselves to
write on. The spirit to keep developing her talent in writing by keep producing
the new novels are really good to influence many other young generations in
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Indonesia. As we know that teenagers are easily contaminated by bad impacts
especially the lifestyle, way of thinking and also the concept of life, so the
need the public figure who can inspire them to do the good things. And the
teenagers could have the good roles models especially from the potential
young writers which are really needed to form teenagers’s idea and dreams.
The story in Money Honey Widjaja’s work is about a girl named
Prity Diana who was called by Dee. She wanted to get a rich lover because
she was tired of dating with a regular teenage boy. Dee is interested in his
friend’s cousin named Rendy Alexander at a birthday party because she saw
Rendy’s appearance is like a rich man, graduating from famous high school,
studying in great university, and having a luxurious car. However it turns
out when she finally knew that Rendy is a materialistic man who just likes
to take advantage of his lover. At the end of the story, Dee is then back on
Stefan, an ordinary man who has long put her heart. The conflict which is
built inside this teenlit is very typical teenager, revolves around the theme
of romance, teenagers’ dreams with all the joys and sorrows. It is of course
when compared with the literary works of serious or very smelly literature,
will not be able to meet that category.
MEDIA’S ROLE IN FORMING THE TEENLIT’S WRITER IN
INDONESIA
The media and society’s theory from McQuail (2010) describes the
power of the media to bring the opinions, tastes, and choices of society.
One of them relates to the power of large publishers who have full power
to produce millions of copies of the teenlit’s novels as the works of young
Indonesia writers, and then conduct a campaign on a large scale even in
the early appearance of many observers literature to assess the work of the
teenlit’s author not have the high value of literature. But, it is because these
large publishers have large capital, so that they can carry out widespread
publicity.
Some aspects of the power of the mass media is to provide information
81. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.1, Juni 2017
quickly and widely. The presence of the author of Teenlit novels which in
the beginning was nobody, but with the power of large publishers such as
Gramedia Asri Media in Indonesia of course be easily promote the novelist
of teenlit incorporated in its production. Gramedia Asri Media is a subsidiary
of Kompas Gramedia bookstore providing a link with the name of Gramedia
Bookstore in several cities in Indonesia and Malaysia. The company was
founded on February 2, 1970 with preceded by a small bookstore measuring
25 square meters in area of West Jakarta, and now has grown to more than
50 bookstores scattered throughout Indonesia. The company is working with
book publishers both at home and abroad. From the group of its own business,
a supplier to them is Gramedia Bookstore Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Elex
Media Komputindo, Gramedia Widya Means, Bhuana Popular Science, and
Gramedia Magazine, while overseas eg Prentice Hall, McGraw Hill, Addison
Wasley and many others.
Kompas Gramedia Indonesia abbreviated KG is a company engaged
in the mass media was established in August 17, 1963, originated from the
publication of Essence magazine by P.K Ojong and Oetama. The presence of
Kompas Gramedia is inseparable from the long history to achieve the lofty
ideals in order to educate the nation. Today, the Kompas Gramedia already
has subsidiaries or business units that varied from print and online media,
bookstores, printing, publishing, radio, hotels, educational institutions,
cultural heralds, the event organizer, the television station to university. In
2005, the company employs 22,000 employees spread across Indonesia.
The other aspect is the media is able to provide status and legitimacy.
To measure a new author, Debbie Widjaja, certainly not as popular as the
big-name writer of Indonesia’s literary world, Pramoedya Ananta Tour who
is known to be very productive writer with his remarkable works, even for
several times nominated for the Nobel Prize winners for literature category.
However, once again the power of the media is fronted by large publishers
are able to create status and legitimacy to teenlit young writers as they are
very brilliant writers in the works produced. Next, further aspect is when
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the media defines reality.
Reality in this case is when a publisher through the works produced
by authors of teenlit novels are able to influence the lifestyle and mindset of
their loyal readers and then actively become a follower of the writers they
admire. Next, the aspects of the power of mass media is able to influence the
fans toward the authors’ behavior and either intentionally or unintentionally.
This is related to issues that were mentioned previously. How lifestyle and
thoughts of the characters in the teenlit’s novel written by Debbie Widjaja
Honey Moneyis able to influence the mindset and behavior of loyal readers
are other impacts that could arise. Lastly, the media also felt able to persuade
the opinions and beliefs of the teenlit’s readers most of whom are teenagers
whose mindset is mostly still unstable. It was worried when they read the
works of teenlit’s novels and then feeling inferior and only highlight the
negative side of the force lives of young people who tend to prefer instant
thought or lifestyle will inevitably affect the behavior and way of thinking.
As expressed by McQuail in Mass Communication Theory (2010),
the media is in the midst of society is seen as an important institution in
society. Some of the underlying reasons is because: first, the media is rapidly
changing and growing industry, which creates jobs, goods and services, as
well as other related industries turn. Media is also a separate industry that has
rules and norms that connect the institution with the community and other
social institutions. Media is also a source of strength, a means of control,
management, and innovation in the community that can be utilized in lieu
of force or other resources. This is in line with the emergence of writers’
Teenlit novelsin Indonesia that directly open the job opportunities for the
growth of young talented writers and also absorb the workers who work in
the publishing business.
Media is also capable as an association that displays the events of
people’s lives, in both small and large scale, nationally and internationally.
From these events became an idea of the Teenlit’s authors as outlined in
various stories in their novels. The media also plays a role in developing the
83. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.1, Juni 2017
cultural values or traditions, such as ordinances, fashion, lifestyle, fashion,
and norms prevailing in a region. The stories were summarized in a series
of Teenlit’s novels which consist of the lifestyle’s tendency of teenagers
today. They only want all luxury and glamorous things, or sometimes just
revolve around romance in the style of a young child as a typical of a genre
of popular litera t ure, which is a kind of literature that is categorized as
literary entertainment and commercial. It is often called as the category of
“commercial entertainment and” it concerns with the “people’s tastes a lot”
or “popular taste”. Pop literature in the Western tends to have the innovative
new literature, experimental - not only in terms of style, the manipulation of
language, and the exploration of the theme as freely as possible - even if it is
possible for a commercial.As the contrary with the literature that is “the real
literature” or called with “the serious literature”, this serious literature can
also be innovative and experimental, will not be venturing something which
is already similar to the playful (Kayam in Nurgiyantoro, 2005).
The media also has become the dominant source, not only for the
individual to obtain a description and image of social reality, but also for the
community and the group collectively. Media also presents the values and
normative judgments mixed with news and entertainment. Teenlit’s novels
as the work of Indonesia’s young generation are considered to provide an
understanding of the rise of Indonesian literature with the emergence of
young writers.
CONCLUSION
Through the power of the media in this case the big publishers such as
Gramedia in Indonesia could become a platform for the growth of the spirit
to write for the young generation of Indonesia. The works produced Teenlit’s
novels are able to brighten the world of Indonesian literature. That is what to
say that the emergence of talented young writers because it is caused by the
power of the media who publish their works so well known by the public.
They are from nobody’s figure becomes somebody in the writing’s world.The
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media have the role that was so strong and powerful in influencing human.
People sometimes are so dependent on media, mass media, electronics, and
now social media in their daily lives. The media seems to be the determining
factor of human life. The effects of the media are very real and obvious, so
the appearance of the teenlit’s writers also have a positive impact with the
emergence of followers who follow in the footsteps of the senior.
The emergence of some talented young writers with their masterpice,
teenlit novels, becomes the symbol of new movement in Indonesia’s literature.
The young writers initiation and willingness to keep on writing their novels
also contribute to the growth of literature’s world. Even the pros and cons
arose, but still it can’t be denied their role to take a part in some aspects of
other people’s life such as in giving the job for many employees in publishing
company. They are already becoming the new public figures like the actor
or actress because of their writings.
85. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, Vol. 9, No.1, Juni 2017
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