ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
This article takes exception to the view commonly held by scholars and literary critics alike that Anwar Ridhwan’s fifth novel Penyeberang Sempadan is replete with intellectual discourses, at the same time it showcases Islamic spiritual philosophy. This view begs further exploration into the question of the novel’s intellectualism. This article addresses the moot issue of intellectualism and Islamic philosophy the novel purportedly displays. To this end, the article utilises Persuratan Baru (henceforth PB) as its analytical framework. PB is chosen because of its fundamental emphasis on knowledge and intellectualism as seen and understood within the Islamic worldview. Concomitant with this, PB in its conception of a narrative makes a clear distinction between knowledge and the story. In addition, PB’s philosophical emphasis on taklif is acknowledged as heir to the Malay-Islamic literary tradition of the region, thereby reinforcing its relevance and immediacy. With PB as its theoretical framework the article successfully makes clear that the so called ‘philosophy’, ‘ideas’, ‘discourse’, and ‘thought’ the novel displays are no more than manifestations of a story and the manipulation of narrative elements in story-making. In addition, Penyeberang Sempadan shows a decided penchant for Muslim characters who are weak as well as ignorant about Islam, thereby strengthening further the argument that the narrative is not an intellectual novel about Islam.
Abdullah, A. K. (1993) Jambak 2. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ridhwan, A. (1999). Jati Diri Pasca Asas 50. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ridhwan, A. (2012). Penyeberang Sempadan. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ridhwan, A. (2009). Pidato Anugerah Sastera Negara Ke-10. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ridhwan, A. (2013). Penyeberang Sempadan Bebas Cengkaman Barat: Sarjana Tempatan Cipta Teori Dipuji. Berita Harian, 22.
Laporan Panel Anugerah Sastera Negara. (2009). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Laporan Panel Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia. (2012). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Hassan, M. A. (2005). Pendidikan Estetika daripada Pendekatan Tauhid. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Zariat, M. (2011). Seksualiti dalam Novel Melayu. Bangi: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Abdul Rani, M. Z., & Tahir, U. M. M. (2008). The Appropriation of Narrative Space in Hikayat Faridah Hanom by Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi and Pujangga Melayu by Mohd. Affandi Hassan: A Comparative Analysis. In Ungku Maimunah Mohd Tahir (Ed.), Gagasan Persuratan Baru: Satu Pengenalan (pp. 290-317). Bangi: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
In-Text Citation: (Bakar, 2022)
To Cite this Article: Bakar, N. F. F. A. (2022). In Search of Truth: On Intellectualism in Anwar Ridhwan’s Penyeberang Sempadan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(11), 2902 – 2916.
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non0-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode