Russian Formalism

In general, Russian Formalism is considered a pioneer for its growth and development of structuralist theories. The emergence of Russian Formalism is inseparable of the Futurism movement. Between 1910-1915 in Italy and Russia appeared the Avant grade movement known as the Futurism movement (masa front). They nihilistically reject and rebel against tradition and culture. They adore modern times with fast-moving machines because it plays a role in liberating the oppressed people. This movement is very radical thus leading to violence and war. In Russia, there is a movement link this with the Bolshevik Revolution, in Italy with Fascism. According to Russian futurists like Mayakovski and Pasternak, literature should adapt to modern times, which move fast both in themes (techniques and machines) and in form (autonomy of language and art). These futurists encourage literary studies by examining the characteristics of literature in literary texts autonomously. 

Russian formalism also emerged as a reaction to positivism in 19th century who paid too much attention to biographical data in scientific studies and tend to regard the divine as absolute. They offer century materialism machine as the realm of poetry that supports the revolution. The artists (i.e. the proletariat) occupies a role as a producer of handicrafts (poetry products considered technical work). To them, the artist is really a builder and engineer, and a leader. The flow of Russian formalism is alive between the years 1915-1930 with prominent figures the character such as Roman Jakobson, Shklovsky, Eichenbaum, and Tynjanov. In 1930, political conditions (communism) put an end to their activities. 

Some people from this group including Rene Wellek and Roman Jakobson emigrated to America Union. There they influenced the development of new criticism over the years 1940-1950.  It should be noted that the Russian formalists were not a group of homogeneous and compact view. However, their focus is examine texts that are considered as literary texts. As for the elements that typical, a new form deviates from the shape language normal. Automation is broken so that readers feel surprised and unfamiliar with distorted form and made him see reality in a new way. Everyday language is conjured up, manipulated with various methods of meter, rhythm, syntax, grammatical structure, and so on. Para formalists make a large number of analyzes of literary works to formulate understanding and general arguments about literary works. Some main ideas, the main terms and arguments for formalism are as follows.

1.

Defamiliarisation and Deautomatiztion

According to the formalists, the nature of literature emerged because of the preparation and composition of materials that were originally neutral. The authors conjure up texts with the effect of alienating and releasing them of automation. This process of conjuring by the author is called defamiliarization. Namely the technique of making the text strange and foreign. The term defamiliarization proposed by Shklovsky to call the technique of storytelling with the style of language that stands out and deviates from the usual. In the process of enjoying or reader's perception, the effect of deautomation is felt as something strange or familiar. This process of defamiliarization changes our response to the world. With the secret disclosure technique, the reader can research and understand the means (language) used by the author. These techniques include delaying, inserting, slowing down, extending, or procrastinate a story so that it attracts attention because it cannot responded automatically.

            Narrative Theory

By accepting the concept of structure, the Russian formalists introduces a new dichotomy between (organized) structure and material (which is disorganized), replaces the old dichotomy between form and contents. Therefore, the structure of a literary text includes both formal and informal aspects semantics. Russian formalists paid special attention to theory narrative. For the purposes of narrative text analysis, they emphasize the difference between story, plot, and motive According to them, what really is Literature is plot, while story is just raw material that is still requires author processing. Motive is the smallest unit in the events narrated. Plot is the artistic arrangement of motifs as due to the application of magic to the story. Flow is not just an arrangement event but also the means used by the author to interrupt and postpone the story. Digressions, typographical games, moving parts of text and extended descriptions is a means intended to attract and activate attention readers of novels. The story itself is just a series chronology of the events narrated.

1        Motive Analysis

In very general terms, a motif means an element that is meaningful and repeated in one or a number of works. In the In one work, the motif is the smallest element of meaning in the story. The meaning of motive here derives a syntactic function. When the motif is read and reflected then the reader sees the motives in the whole and can conclude one basic motive. If the basic motive was reformulated meta-language, then we will find the theme of a work. For example, in the love story, the theme of love is found truly overcomes all obstacles. When it comes to various works (approach) historical-comparative), a semantic unity that always appears in those works. For example, the motive for searching for a father or lover (motif banners found in various stories in Southeast Asia), or motifs Oedipus, and so on. Boris Tomashevsky calls the motif a unit of plot smallest. He distinguishes between bound motives and free motives. The bound motive is motives that are really needed by the story, while motives are free is an aspect that is not essential from the point of view of the story. Nonetheless, free motive it is potentially the focus of art because it provides opportunities for the author to insert artistic elements into the overall plot.

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  Poetic Functions and Aesthetic Objects

The term function refers to the placement of a work literature in a communication module, which includes the relationship between the author, text, and reader. This term arose as a reaction to the study of formalism literature, which was too focused on aspects of literary means without placing it in context certain. According to Jakobson, in every language expression there are a number of functions. For example, referential, emotive, conative, and poetic functions, which are related to several factors such as context, spokesperson, author, recipient, reader, and the content or message of the language itself. In the use of literary language, the poetic function is the most dominant. Language messages are manipulated phonically, graphically, and lexically so that we realize that the message in question must be read as a literary work. Jan Mukarovsky, a Prague structuralist, introduced the term “aesthetic object” as opposed to the term “artifact”. Artifacts are literary works that are intact and unchanging. The artifact will become an object when it is internalized and enjoyed by the reader. In reader's experience, literary works can have different meanings depending on expectations the reader. Donations the importance of formalists for literature is that in principle they direct our attention to literary elements and poetic functions. Until now, the terms literary theory and literary analysis are still widely used of the Formalists.