Reviewing the Short Story Anthologies of Zurinah Hassan: Convention Versus Innovation

Siti Hajar Che Man

doi:10.37052/ml.24(1)no4

Siti Hajar Che Man Universiti Sains Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37052/ml.24(1)no4

Abstract

This discussion will focus on two anthologies produced by Zurinah Hassan entitled Meneruskan Perjalanan (The Continuation of the Journey) (1987) and Menjelang Pemilihan (As the Selection Dawns) (2004). The study will examine the issues of convention and invention that are evident in her short stories. The discussion will thus be divided into two parts. The first relates to convention in terms of the parallelism and acquiescence or obedience of Zurinah Hassan in cultivating issues or conflicts that can be extracted from short stories in both anthologies. The second relates to the context of invention and refers to the discoveries in her written work which have escaped or become free from conventional characteristics. In other words, her creativity has achieved a new level and is not tied down to conventional rules. The results of this study will assess Zurinah Hassan's development and the transformation of her talent of authorship that is evident from its creativity, imagination, illusion and fantasy. The existence of improvisation or growth in knowledge, discipline and knowledge of assistance and her experiences in cultivating current issues are also evident. Furthermore, women's issues are highlighted through the short story genre to be shared especially with other women and with readers in general.

Keywords: Conventional laws, creativity, invention, imagination, illusion, fantasy and genre.

Author Biography

Siti Hajar Che Man, Universiti Sains Malaysia

School of Humanities

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