Bagaimana cara terbaik mengatakan seseorang kuno atau tidak? Tentu saja dengan melakukan perbandingan, apakah orang-orang zaman sekarang masih melakukan hal-hal yang dulu dilakukan orang tua mereka atau tidak. Polly Milton, dalam usianya yang masih empat belas tahun, pergi mengunjungi salah satu kerabatnya, keluarga Shaw, di kota. Keluarga yang terdiri atas Mr. dan Mrs. Shaw, seorang nenek, dan tiga bersaudara Fanny (enam belas tahun), Tom (empat belas tahun) dan Maud (sekitar enam atau tujuh tahun) itu memiliki gaya hidup berbeda dengan Polly. Hal itu sempat membuatnya terpesona. Namun, ketika ia melihat di rumah itu tak ada cinta sebanyak di rumahnya, ia mulai mensyukuri pendidikan yang diterapkan ayah ibunya di desa. Sementara itu, cara berpikir dan penampilannya yang sederhana membuatnya dikenal sebagai gadis kuno. Tapi ia sama sekali tak keberatan dianggap begitu. Ia terus saja dengan sifatnya yang semula: simpati pada sesama, membantu orang lain, mementingkan ikatan antar keluarga, dan bekerja keras. Semuanya itu, tanpa ia sadari, menebarkan kebahagiaan dan cinta di sekelilingnya, membuat orang-orang yang ia limpahi cinta menjadi orang-orang yang berkembang menuju arah yang lebih baik. Bahkan ketika ia dewasa dan mengalami cinta yang bertepuk sebelah tangan, semua kesabaran dan sifat baiknya membuat ia mampu bertahan. Limpahan cinta dan perhatiannya pula yang berhasil mengangkat keluarga Shaw saat jatuh miskin dan mengajari mereka bagaimana seharusnya sebuah keluarga bersikap satu sama lain. Polly terus memegang teguh cara berpikir dan cara bersikapnya, hal yang membuat cinta sejatinya datang. Seseorang yang tak akan membuatnya bosan. Seseorang yang memiliki tujuan jelas dan kemauan untuk melakukannya sepenuh hati. Terbukti bahwa ada hal-hal yang kelihatan kuno, padahal sebetulnya hal-hal itulah yang dapat menjadi penopang hidup yang bersifat universal di zaman apa pun. Louisa May Alcott adalah novelis yang terkenal dengan Little Women. Alcott juga termasuk novelis yang produktif hingga kematiannya menjelang. An Old Fashioned Girl adalah novel yang ia tulis tahun 1869 dan diterbitkan pada 1915, diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia oleh Penerbit Orange tahun 2010. Rentang waktu begitu lama, tentu menghasilkan jarak tajam antara penulisnya saat itu dengan pembaca saat ini. Mungkin itu yang menyebabkan penerjemah memutuskan untuk menggunakan kalimat seperti, “… bisa-bisa aku jadi keriput gara-gara maksain diri pergi dalam cuaca seburuk ini….” dan kata-kata lainnya yang membuat pembaca seperti membaca novel chicklit atau teenlit dan bukannya karya klasik. Mungkin bila penerjemah menggunakannya secara konsisten hanya pada kalimat percakapan, tidak akan terasa mengganggu. Tapi hal itu juga dapat kita temui pada narasi cerita, di mana kata-kata seperti “nggak” digunakan sebagai ganti kata “tidak”, “buat” untuk mengganti “untuk”, dan “suka” menggantikan kata “sering”. Terus terang, hal itu mengganggu, sebab genre novel ini adalah novel klasik. Tentu lebih baik bila bagian narasi diterjemahkan dengan mempertahankan tata bahasa baku, seperti yang Penerbit Orange lakukan dengan luar biasa bagus pada Pollyana, juga yang dilakukan penerbit-penerbit lain pada Little Women, Little Princess, dan Secret Garden. Selain itu, mengingat apa yang terjadi di masa Polly hidup pada masa itu merupakan misteri pada masa sekarang, alangkah baiknya bila penerjemah memanfaatkan footnote semaksimal mungkin untuk menjelaskan apa itu thingumbob, frizzles, sancho, barege, dll, juga untuk menggambarkan seperti apakah dansa redowa itu, square dance, dan lancers tip-top. Juga tak ada salahnya memberi footnote bahwa taksi pada masa itu merupakan sebutan bagi kereta kuda sehingga pembaca tak akan terperangah saat Tom mengatakan akan keluar taksi dan duduk di luar menemani supir yang mabuk (hlm. 6). Memang, hal itu akan kita ketahui dari narasi berikutnya, tapi tetap saja saya merasa footnote itu perlu. Juga mal, tempat orang berselancar pada musim dingin saat es beku. Rasanya ada terjemahan yang lebih tepat daripada mal. Juga terdapat beberapa inkonsistensi penerjemahan, seperti Madam yang kadang menjadi Nenek, John menjadi Jack, Emma menjadi Eva menjadi Ema, padahal ketiganya mengacu pada orang yang sama. Juga beberapa kali tertukar tokoh, menuliskan Polly padahal yang dimaksud adalah Fanny, atau menulis Fan padahal yang dimaksud adalah Tom. Cukup mengganggu juga ketika Maud “lupa” bahwa dia cadel dengan mengatakan kalimat-kalimat seperti, “Tom menertawakan aku! Buat dia berhenti!” (hlm. 11); “… ayo pergi!” (hlm. 37); “… aku dan Blanche sedang dalam perjalanan pulang… Tom menuruni bukit… dia menariknya pulang dengan sangat cepat!” (hlm. 52); “Mama, apa aku sebaiknya punya pacar? … mereka bilang… seharusnya….” (hlm. 55). Dalam hal membaca novel, mungkin saya juga tergolong pembaca yang old fashioned (faktor U juga :D) sebab sebagai novel klasik, saya merasa novel ini akan lebih enak bila diterjemahkan dengan menggunakan kalimat baku. Untuk kalimat percakapan, beberapa kata tidak baku mungkin masih dapat ‘dimaafkan’ bila dimasukkan sebagai cara membuat dialog lebih menarik. Saya yakin Penerbit Orange pasti mempunyai alasan tersendiri mengapa melakukan penerjemahan ala chicklit pada sebuah novel klasik. Bukannya saya tak suka chicklit, tapi penggunaan bahasa seperti itu justru menghilangkan kesan klasik novel ini dan menjadikannya tidak sesuai dengan judulnya.
I'm one of the biggest fans of Louisa May Alcott after reading her Little Women when I was in high school. It was an amazing book that every girls and boys would love and cherish until end and it was one of the greatest classics that I read since I started reading. This time, Louisa May Alcott turned the old pages of this book into a magnificent old-fashioned story. Real and fluent in a way that every reader will appreciate the old ways and life of Polly Milton.Me, myself is an old-fashioned. I lived in a rural area before, no high buildings, few population, more green and fresh air. Money and style were never been a priority of every citizen. We cherish every simple blessings that we receive. Until, I went to an urban city where money and stars are ready to explode and every people are trying to catch every piece of those shiny stone. A little poverty might not hurt ones interest if we just live in simple and with harmony. This is the welcome sign built nearby the boundary of my hometown with the strong green color and blue sky that made every people live with harmony with nature. If I'm not mistaken, the city had planted many trees last month to be recognize in the Guinness Book of Records.Only few appreciated life in simple way and one of them is Polly Milton. When she was 14 she was invited by her friend Franny Shaw and to live with life in the city. Unfortunately, she was a girl with simple dresses and manner like an old-fashioned woman. She was rejected by many friends and people she met because of her taste in fashion as well as her point of view to simple life.After the rejection, she went back to her hometown and continued her life as a provincial girl. After six years, she went back to Boston to help her brother Will to enter college by teaching music lesson to her students. But a great lost happened to the Shaw, as their business become bad and they have to live in small expense. The kids were forced to live with Polly and live with their small income.Because of her selflessness and sacrifice, the Shaw brothers and sisters changed as the days came by and the simplest love become the greatest power to conquer poverty. First illustrated pictures of Louisa May Alcott's book as drawn and published by Roberts Bros. in 1870. Left, Polly went to Boston again. Right, Tom went back to Polly's place when he succeed in looking a job in the West.Like any Louisa May Alcott books, she always recognized her characters as old-fashioned in a way that they are simple, although through this book she emphasized it clearly the advantage of living with small poverty. No excess money to be used and to be contented in small things. But I must say, that the contentment of men never end as it is a continues process. At least in the end, she unleash the true essence of being simple not only for girls but to everyone.Although, Alcott's romantic interest of her characters were not interesting like in her other books. Purely, it was well written in an old-fashioned that looses the essence of writing it romantically or maybe she's not really a romantic writer itself and consider the words that her characters said as to be well-chosen. Other problem with it was too short and slow-paced that few may get interest to read this book.Her interest of making girls to read her books were more distinguished since she used a strong female characters and extras as well as dictating female clothes and manners in her generation. Not recommended to male readers but more recommended to those girls who enjoyed reading classics, chic-lit and young adult novels, and to those guys who are curious to read this book. But I can't guarantee the reader's likeness because of its girly content. The city celebrated T'nalak Festival, a week long celebration to show case its town's beauty and culture by many forms of arts by street dancing, fashion walk and many more. The T'nalak Festival is celebrated starting July 18. A must visit festival every year!Review posted on Old-Fashioned Reader.Rating: An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, 3 SweetsChallenges:Book #190 for 2011Book #108 for Off the Shelf!
What do You think about An Old-Fashioned Girl (2005)?
WARNING, there are some spoilers for Little Woman in the following.Four and a half stars rounded up to five...I started reading An Old Fashioned Girl expecting to be a little disappointed as I was with Little Women. ( I really didn't get the romance in that ) But I guess Louisa May Alcott just wanted to please us...The book starts when fourteen year old Polly Milton is coming to stay with her friend Fanny Shaw in the city. Polly is from the country, and lot's of things are new to her, so Tom and Fan call her "an old fashioned girl." I think Tom was the only character who wasn't boring. No, I change my mind, I like Fanny and Maud too. Anyway, Polly learns lots of new things and has a good time blah blah blah, but I felt like the book really started around half way through... six years later! Isn't it exciting when you get to see everyone grown up! It's just like meeting old friends who you haven't seen in ages, except you don't have to wait so long. Nothing was going to stop me reading it now! Not even a wasp! ( which did come after me at some point ) I just HAD to find out what was going to happen to Polly and... ?If you liked Little Women but were HORRIBLY disappointed with how it turned out. Try this one.
—Gemma
Written the year after Little Women, and it shows. I had never read this book until now (thank you Gutenberg) and I see I haven't missed much. It seems to be a recycling of themes from LW, in particular Meg's visit to the wealthy Gardiners and her experiences at their balls and parties, as a "poor relation" (though unrelated). We also find themes that will come into their own in Rose in Bloom: the strong-minded women who are still "little womanly" enough to find their real fulfillment, not in their art or intellectual pursuits, but in marriage and homemaking for a man and children; plus rich women channelling their money and free time into charitable works in search of redemption. The "plot" such as it is, hangs together very loosely--first Polly goes on a visit to Snob Hill for what appears to be several months (why, is never explained), and then suddenly, boom! "Six Years Later" she turns up again, determined to be independent by teaching music--just like Phoebe in Rose in Bloom.Where Little Women and other Alcott books manage to mix a little sugar and spice of fun and humour in with the moralising, AOFG is simply sanctimonious and preachy--particularly about the sin of wearing fashionable clothes! This must be what Alcott rebelled against in her correspondence when she spoke of being tired of writing "moral pap for the young." It really feels as if Alcott wrote it in order to keep herself in the public eye; Polly is a Pollyanna prig, and so is the narrative voice! Funny how Polly's brother is determined to be a minister, but they never attend church. I was heartily tired of her before the end of the book, and I got the impression her author was too. By that time, Alcott is writing in generalities, as if she was as eager to write The End as I was to reach it.
—Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)
**One minor spoiler that's not worth hiding the whole review over, but just a warning**This book was good. I loved the first half, before the seven-year skip, the most. That was mostly little stories, adorable ones, ones that made you happy and your day a little brighter. :)Polly was a strong female character. She wanted what was best for Fanny, who she had grown to love over the years that she came to visit the Shaws, and she gave up the man that loved her for her cousin.Tom was nice (most of the time XD), jolly, and fun. I liked who he got matched up with in the end, though it was a little strange. :P But this book WAS written nearly 100 years ago.Mrs. Shaw was annoying. I didn't like her at all. She could at least show a little love to her children! And her nerves were annoying. Haha. She didn't even really talk or appear in a majority of the book, though, so it's fine.Mr. Shaw was very loveable. I really liked him. At first I thought he was stern and annoying like Mrs. Shaw, but he warmed up to Polly and that let him warm up to his children. :)The story in the second half kept you wanting to read it, although it dragged on a little bit. (*sigh*)All-in-all, it was a good book. I give it four stars out of five!
—Lydia Dyslin
