THE REJECTION OF PERFECT LIFE IN MATT HAIG’S THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY: A POSTMODERN PERSPECTIVE

Frishia Silmiafifa Putri; Miftahur Roifah

doi:10.21107/prosodi.v20i2.36234

THE REJECTION OF PERFECT LIFE IN MATT HAIG’S THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY: A POSTMODERN PERSPECTIVE

Frishia Silmiafifa Putri, Miftahur Roifah

Abstract

The study aims to find the metanarratives that make the concept of the “perfect life”, specifically the metanarratives of success, romance, and morality, to analyze how the main character in the novel The Midnight Library rejects the metanarratives through the character’s life experience. This study uses a qualitative method and the data were analyzed using Jean-François Lyotard’s theory of postmodernism, especially the concepts of metanarrative and delegitimation, to identify the metanarrative in The Midnight Library and how the main character, Nora Seed, rejects the metanarrative.The research findings show that this novel presents how the character’s response ultimately rejects that metanarrative by showing that achievement, romantic relationships, and social acceptance do not always lead to happiness. This study concludes that Nora Seed, the main character, rejects the concept of a perfect life that is established by social standards.

Keywords

Delegitimation, Metanarrative, Postmodernism, Perfect Life,

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.21107/prosodi.v20i2.36234