How (and why) to read William Faulkner - Sascha Morrell

Translator: Tasha Syarifah Reviewer: Rizka Anjani

You’re halfway through

Kau membaca setengah bagian

what’s supposedly one of the greatest novels of the 20th century,

dari novel yang dianggap salah satu novel terhebat Abad 20,

but nothing quite makes sense.

tetapi tak ada yang masuk akal.

Narrating characters offer clashing versions of the same story

Narasi tokoh menyajikan versi berbeda untuk cerita yang sama

and often seem unsure who, what, or when they’re talking about.

dan seringkali tidak yakin siapa, apa, atau kapan yang dibicarakan.

Seemingly minor details trigger intense emotional reactions you don't understand.

Detail kecil tampaknya menyebabkan reaksi emosional intens yang tidak kau pahami.

And the prose is loaded with convoluted sentences and outlandish imagery.

Dan prosa itu dipenuhi kalimat rumit dan citra aneh.

Confused? Good— that means you’re on the right track.

Bingung? Bagus— artinya kau di jalur yang benar.

William Faulkner is considered one of America’s most remarkable

William Faulkner dianggap salah satu penulis hebat Amerika

and perplexing writers.

dan penulis yang kompleks.

Fortunately, he wasn’t just toying with his audience.

Untungnya, ia tidak sekedar mempermainkan penontonnya.

Faulkner used confusion intentionally,

Faulkner sengaja menggunakan kebingungan,

to explore the most mysterious parts of the human mind

untuk menjelajahi bagian paling misterius dari pikiran manusia

and investigate pressing issues of personal, racial, and regional identity.

dan memeriksa masalah mendesak seperti personal, ras, dan identitas daerah.

The result is a body of work that’s shocking, inventive, and often hilarious—

Hasilnya ialah karya mengejutkan, inventif, dan seringkali lucu—

but above all, challenging.

terutama, menantang.

So what clues should readers look for to navigate his literary labyrinths?

Jadi, petunjuk apa yang harus dicari untuk menjelajahi labirin sastranya?

Many of Faulkner’s novels are set in the fictional county of Yoknapatawpha—

Banyak novel Faulkner yang berlokasi di wilayah fiksional Yoknapatawpha—

sebuah imajinasi fantastis dari Lafayette County, Mississippi,

a fantastical reimagining of Lafayette County, Mississippi,

tempat ia menghabiskan sebagian besar hidupnya.

where he spent most of his life.

Born in 1897, Faulkner grew up steeped in oral storytelling traditions,

Lahir pada 1897, Faulkner tumbuh tenggelam dalam tradisi bercerita,

from folklore and family histories to local legends of Civil War glory.

dari dongeng dan sejarah keluarga hingga legenda kemenangan perang saudara.

However, these grand myths didn’t match the messy reality of the American South,

Namun, mitos-mitos hebat ini tidak sesuai dengan kenyataan di Amerika Selatan,

divided by racist Jim Crow laws

dipisahkan oleh hukum rasis Jim Crow

and plagued by the legacies of slavery and colonial violence.

dan diganggu oleh warisan perbudakan serta kejahatan kolonial.

All these tensions come alive inside Yoknapatawpha.

Semua ketegangan ini terjadi di Yoknapatawpha.

Full of horror, humor, and human tragedy,

Penuh horor, humor, dan tragedi manusia,

Faulkner’s stories feature many memorable characters,

cerita Faulkner diisi dengan banyak tokoh mengesankan,

like the spurned bride who sleeps beside her would-be husband’s corpse,

seperti pengantin wanita yang ditolak dan tidur dekat jasad calon suaminya,

or the duped sharecropper obsessively hunting for imaginary coins.

atau petani penggarap yang terobsesi berburu koin-koin khayalan.

At first glance, these characters seem grotesquely absurd.

Sekilas, para tokoh ini terlihat tidak masuk akal.

But under the surface, they all reflect his obsession

Namun, mereka semua merefleksikan obsesinya

with how people process the past—

pada cara manusia menghadapi masa lalu—

what they stubbornly hold on to, unwittingly forget and willingly distort.

apa yang mereka pertahankan, tak sengaja lupakan, dan rela ubah.

Much of Faulkner’s fiction is told from multiple perspectives,

Fiksi Faulkner banyak bercerita dari perspektif yang beragam,

offering the reader several versions of the story’s events.

menawarkan pembaca beberapa versi dari sebuah cerita.

For example, “The Sound and the Fury” combines the narratives

Contohnya, “The Sound and the Fury” mengombinasikan narasi

of Benjy, Quentin, and Jason Compson,

dari Benjy, Quentin, dan Jason Compson,

three brothers haunted by memories of their sister Caddy.

tiga saudara dihantui oleh kenangan saudari mereka Caddy.

One brother's narration will occasionally fill the gaps left by another's,

Sesekali satu narasi milik saudara akan mengisi kekosongan yang tersisa,

but just as often, their accounts contradict each other.

tetapi sering juga, pernyataan mereka berlawanan.

To make things more confusing, Benjy’s narration is disjointed in time,

Untuk menambah kebingungan, narasi Benjy terputus-putus,

slipping between past and present without warning.

tergelincir antara masa lalu dan kini.

Meanwhile, Quentin's section confuses fact and fantasy

Sementara itu, bagian Quentin merancukan fakta dan fantasi

as it jumps backward in time from the day of his untimely death.

saat melompat mundur dari hari kematiannya yang terlalu dini.

Only the aggressive, money-hungry Jason attempts to embrace the present—

Hanya si agresif, si tamak Jason berusaha merangkul masa kini—

but even he is constantly overtaken by past resentments.

tetapi ia juga selalu terbawa kebencian di masa lalu.

Following these threads can be bewildering,

Mengikuti hal ini bisa membingungkan,

but Faulkner wants the audience to share in the characters’ confusion.

tetapi Faulkner ingin pembaca berbagi kebingungan para tokoh.

This approach allows readers to understand the Compsons’

Pendekatan ini membantu pembaca untuk memahami

biases and blindspots firsthand.

bias dan titik butanya Compson secara langsung.

And since his characters’ distortions of the past

Mengingat distorsi milik tokohnya di masa lalu

often reflect larger denials of Southern history,

sering mencerminkan penyangkalan sejarah daerah Selatan,

it also allows Faulkner to explore his own anxieties about the South.

ini juga membantu Faulkner mengeksplorasi kecemasannya terkait daerah Selatan.

For example, his novel “Light in August” deliberately induces ambiguity

Contoh, novelnya “Light in August” sengaja mendorong ambiguitas

about a character’s racial origins in ways that undermine rigid Jim Crow policies.

mengenai ras asli tokoh yang mana meruntuhkan kebijakan kaku Jim Crow.

And in “Absalom, Absalom!” narrating townsfolk

Dan “Absalom, Absalom!” menceritakan warga kota

remark that “no one knew how”

berkomentar “tak ada yang tahu”

a local landowner had come into his property,

pemilik lokal telah mendapat propertinya,

and that his house was built “apparently out of nothing.”

dan rumahnya dibangun “tampaknya dari ketiadaan.”

This kind of evasive language shows how characters are desperate to cover up

Bahasa yang ambigu ini menunjukkan kalau para tokoh putus asa untuk menutupi

the region's intolerable history of genocide and slavery.

sejarah keji terkait genosida dan perbudakan di daerah itu.

But even when exploring the heaviest topics,

Namun saat menjelajahi topik-topik yang berat,

Faulkner spellbinds readers with verbal acrobatics.

Faulkner memikat para pembaca dengan permainan kata.

One particularly bewildering sentence in “Absalom, Absalom!”

Satu kalimat yang membingungkan dalam “Absalom, Absalom!”

runs 1,288 words long,

memiliki 1.288 kata,

and features locals haggling over “violently-colored candy,”

ada warga yang memperebutkan “permen berwarna brutal,”

a “cloudy swirl of chickens,” and a hard-drinking planter

”pusaran ayam-ayam,” dan seorang penanam pemabuk berat

who’s compared to both a worn-out cannon and a showgirl.

yang membandingkan meriam usang dengan gadis panggung.

Even his jokes can breed more confusion,

Candaannya pun lebih membingungkan,

such as when Benjy Compson conflates his sister Caddy with golf caddies.

seperti saat Benjy Compson menyamakan saudarinya Caddy dengan caddy golf.

Reading Faulkner is rarely easy, but it is deeply rewarding.

Membaca Faulkner tidaklah mudah, tetapi sangat bermanfaat.

He invites readers to contemplate the unreliable nature of history and memory.

Ia mengajak para pembaca merenungkan sisi meragukan dari sejarah dan kenangan.

And in teaching us to embrace confusion

Dan mengajari kita merangkul kebingungan

and recognize the limits of our perception,

dan mengetahui batas persepsi kita,

Faulkner can help us listen for hidden meanings

Faulkner membantu mendeteksi arti tersembunyi

in the sound and fury that surround us.

di keramaian dan kemarahan sekitar kita.