A MORPHOLOGICAL READING OF J.K. ROWLING’S NOVELS USING PROPP’S NARRATIVE THEORY

Abstract

Narratology study has been debate from scholars from myth to postmodern times. However, although postmodern thinkers put aside a set rule of narrative, yet in fact in there are found numerous generous amount of narrative by incorporating the world and the self. This research attemps at applying morphological perspective of Propp’s narrative functions in J.K. Rowling’s novels such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Using qualitative content analysis approach, this research was conducted by doing documentation, examination, and classification to obtain the relevant data. The result shows that there are identified 19 functions in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which written using propp’s nomeclature symbols as βγ²δεη¹θ¹A¹⁴CDEG⁶J¹K⁵ExI¹↑, and then 21 functions in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets written in nomeclature symbols β²γδε²ζη³θA¹aBCDEF⁵G³H²I²Rs¹MNQ¹, and  13 functions in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them written in nomeclature symbols  αδ[η¹η²η³]A¹³a³C[E⁷E⁸][F¹F²F⁴F⁵F⁷]GH¹I²[K²K⁵K⁶K⁷K¹⁰]Rs⁵Q³. In addition, J.K. Rowling’s novels which widely accepted as postmodern literary works are still relevant to Propp’s morphologic model of narrative functions approach. In short, Propp’s theory is applicable for the study of narrative not only for folktale but also other literary genres.