Santi Ramdhani Umar Faruk Wiwit Solita Comprehend How and Why Mario Puzos The Godfather Called

as Popular Literature Popular literature is all literary works that produced just to complete the necessity of money and made just for completing people taste. So, it is made not because of the author idealism but because of the development of industry or economy. The characteristic of popular literature (poplit) is a masses production and commercial. And whatever that author wrote is not because his or her idealism to convey something but for the necessity to get money and just for the peoples entertainment. The story can make the reader feel addicted. As Longhurst say in Storeys book, Popular literature cannot be understood as a proper one, it just as narcotics and the reader as unhealed user (Storey, 1996: 36). Moreover, poplit always has a standard formula for all works, they are; the first is convention and the second is innovation. Convention is about an agreement of the story that always has same plot. For example is the main character in Heros movie always wins in the last story, or in the romance drama always end with happiness. For the second, innovation, made just for development of the story but not intended to change the standard formula. There are so many kinds of genre in popular literature; one of them is mafia or crime. In this genre, we can find so many works of it, but the most popular is Mario Puzos The Godfather. This novel is popular and so interesting in the late of 1970. Generally, this story tells about a group of crime family led by Don Vito Corleon, which want to make his kingdom business of crime becomes a legal one. When narcotics smugglers ask Corleone for permission to sell drugs in his territory, he refuses, and gang war breaks out. Corleones youngest son, Michael, ends up taking control of the familys business. Unlike his father and brother, Michael is not hot tempered. He is educated and businesslike. Under his direction, the family disposes of most of their enemies and expands their business interests until they control all the crime syndicates in the United States.

Before the explanation about how and why this work becomes popular literature, we also have to know the formula. There are two formulas in this genre; the first is convention, the second is innovation. For the convention is the basic deal or rule of kind of story and cannot be changed. Seems like this genre of mafia, everybody know that this kind of story is always about the Genk which is usually taking control for anything and played illegal action, then usually there are someone who wants to break the Genks movement. The Hollywood gangster story was conventionally placed in a retributive frame, and the negative side of the gangster myth could be seen as the reinforcement of a belief in the 'public enemy' as an explanation of the collapse of morality, discipline and order in American society. Then for the mafia, it is always be like that. May be if there is something different is just because of the second formula; innovation. Innovation makes the story new, but did not leave the first formula as a basic. Applying to The Godfather, there is an innovation from the convention, usually the protagonist is always from outside the Genk, but in this story the protagonist comes from inside the Genk, namely Michael. Michael is the latest son of Don Vito Corleon, the leader of crime family. This family group also has an enemy who want to make this group broken. But Michael can get the authority to do the business of family and taking control for other. After his dad died, he called as a new Godfather. The next question is how and why this novel being so popular? What make it popular and acceptable by the people? Firstly, we have to know that how this novel becomes popular is because this novel changed to a movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This is make people curious to watch the film not only interested by the story but also curious to know the relevance of the story between in novel and film. Overall, this way is successful to make it popular and get sympathy of people to appreciate it and success to get much money from it. And when this story made as a movie and played by the great actor and actress, so thats the plus point that fascinating people to watch it. Played by the great players are Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Andy Gracia.

After knowing how this work becomes popular, absolutely we have a big question again that why people like this story. Why people accept the story of crime? In addition, the fact is mafia or crime movies always get peoples attention. May be it is because this story is attractive and make people interest. The story about mafia or crime like The Godfather gives a new nuance to the people as an entertainment for them. This kind of film usually talks about the criminal action, for example is a bank robbery, drug sales, and others. The characters usually are materialistic, immoral, crazy, and brave. And those are which make people like this genre. Mafias story usually is full of homicide, crime, wars, and the entire actions scene. Moreover, this is the people like from this story. Cinema audiences experienced the double satisfaction of vicarious participation in gangster violence and of seeing violence turned against the gangster himself. This enabled them, on the one hand, to identify with criminal rebellion against a corrupt, hypocritical society, and, on the other, to enjoy fantasies of revenge against criminals who could be cast as 'the root of evil'. At least, the story like this is quite enough to entertain people from their bored routine activity. Moreover, we can say that this work is belong to the popular literature because it is acceptable work and has a high commercial value. It is proven from story that was made up of three series, those are; The Godfather (1972), The Godfather, part II (1974), The Godfather, part III (1990). And we dont have to ask about how much money that they have got. From the economic perspective, this story success getting million dollars from first played in cinema. Good marketing also completes it until spread to another country.

Reference: Storey, John. 1996. Cultural Studies dan Kajian Budaya Pop. Bandung: Jalasutra
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