CONFLICTS IN CODRESCU’S THE BLOOD COUNTESS
A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Hasanuddin University In Partial Fulfillment to Obtain Sarjana Sastra Degree
By
YUDA SABRANG ‘AINAN LU’LU ISMAIL
F21111106
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF CULTURAL SCIENCES
HASANUDDIN UNIVERSITY
MAKASSAR
2018
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alhamdulillahirabbil ‘alamin, first of all, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Allah SWT for the blessing, guidance and also the strength to accomplish my thesis, and also for my Prophet Muhammad SAW, the righteous messenger of Allah SWT Who is the leader that guiding us into the right path.
During the process on working the thesis, I get some help, guidance, support, advice and motivation from many people. So for the first, I want to say thanks for my beloved parents. The deserve to receive my very special praise for their endless prayers and support in every aspect. I hope both of you can finally proud of me because of my achievement.
Seconly, I gratefully acknowledge Drs. Husain Hasyim, M.Hum who is my first consultant for his supervision, guidance and also advices since the beginning of my research. I also want to sent my gratitude to my second consultant, Abbas, S.S, M.Hum who always patiently and gently supervised me. Both of you are the best, thank yoy very much.
Great thanks to both Armien Harry Zainuddin and Arga Maulana. The people who helped in giving the ideas support the writing of this thesis. May God Bless both of you.
Also, I would like to thank my examiners, Dr. Sudarmin Harun, M. Hum and Dr. Fathu Rahman, M. Hum who willingly support and advise me with good feedback. Without their help, the correction of my thesis would not be on notice.
Next, I would like to say thanks to my good friends for all the helps, laughs, taunts, conflicts and stories we have share during in Community of Lobe-Lobe Canteen in which they are Muhammad Rizal, Irsanuddin, Iskandar, Sukur Oda, Iqbal Maliq, Agung Adriani Pasau, Adiel Frendica Sambe, Luthfy Baftim, Wisnu Iswahyudi, Romano Alexander, Maman, Ahmad Harry, La Jumahidi, Erwin Katunde, Edwin Pratama, Nurhadi Hamka, Azlam Ruslim, Ade Irawan, Kristoforus
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Sarira, Dominggus Dallas, Rivani Talaohu, Dio Diantara, Dita Anggraeni, Citra Lestari M., Nurmiaty, Wahyu Kurniawan, Merry Marten, Rizqayanti Usmadi, Troy Thiodorus, Hary Ansyari, Novriel Hulsenks, Septian Fredrick, Amal Nur Muhammad, Ponco Adyie Sugama, Wahyu Harun, Hasbi, Istiqamah, Wulandari, Aya’, Ayu, Erny, Icha, Ciwo and all the names I cannot mention one by one. I also want to delivery my thanks for mama Rabia, Kak Tia, Dian in Lobe-Lobe Canteen for the place she gladly shares with us as a hang out spot in Campus. For addition, I also thanks to for all my friends in Caterpillar 2011. Thanks for all the moment when we are together, hopefully we will meet again in another time.
My special thanks go to St. Meuthia Nurfadilah for her support, help and motivation to me for more than three years. Once again thanks for by my side all this time to rise me up when I am down.
I believe that my thesis is far from perfection because of the limited knowledge, capability and ability. Therefore, I will very appreciate it if there are any advice and criticism from the readers that will be useful to my development in the future.
Finnaly, I would like to say many thanks for everybody who has important to the accompalishment of my thesis, as well as for my apologi if I cannot mention personally one by one.
Hopefully, Allah SWT will always be with us.
Makassar, 2 Mei 2018
Yuda Sabrang ‘Ainan Lu’Lu Ismail
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ABSTRACT
YUDA SABRANG ‘AINAN LU’LU ISMAIL. 2018. Sadism in Codrescu’s The Blood Countess, (supervised by Husain Hasyim and Abbas).
This study generally aims to reveal the abnormal desire and conflicts behaviors of The Blood Countess’s main character. This study also shows the causal factors of it, how the main character treat her victims, what is the conflicts background, and what does the and immaterial desire of the main character. The writer used descriptive analysis method in this study, because the object of this study was a novel, which the writer had to analyze the story and later described it descriptively. The primary data in this study was The Blood Countess which was written by Andrei Codresu. In looking the point of the discussion, the writer applied structural approach. Based on the results of the analysis, the writer finds that the theme of the novel is thriller, the genre itself is historical-fiction. The writer also finds that the abnormal desire of the main character is affected by an alchemist. The sadistic behavior itself comes from her psychological experiences and her desire which wants to be young and beautiful in a long time.
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ABSTRAK
YUDA SABRANG ‘AINAN LU’LU ISMAIL. 2018. Sadisme dalam Novel The Blood Countess Oleh Andre Codrescu. (dibimbing oleh Husain Hasyim dan Abbas).
Penelitian ini secara umum bertujuan untuk mengungkap ketidaknormalan hasrat dan tingkah laku sadis dari tokoh utama pada novel The Blood Countess. Penelitian ini juga memperlihatkan faktor-faktor penyebabnya, bagaimana karakter utama memperlakukan korban-korbannya, apa saja latar belakang psikolgi karakter utama, dan apa hasrat immateril dari tokoh utama.
Peneliti menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif dalam pembahasan ini, karena objek penelitian ini adalah sebuah novel, dimana penulis menganalisis cerita yang terdapat pada novel dan mendeskripsikannya. Data utama dalam penelitian ini adalah novel yang berjudul The Blood Countess yang ditulis oleh Andrei Codresu. Dalam mencari pokok pembahasan, penulis menggunakan pendekatan struktural.
Berdasarkan pada hasil analisis, penulis menemukan bahwa tema dari novel The Blood Countess adalah thriller, dan genrenya adalah sejarah-fiksi. Penulis juga menemukan bahwa hasrat yang abnormal dari tokoh utama hendak dipengaruhi oleh seoarang ahli kimia. Tingkah laku sadis dari tokoh utama berasal dari pengalaman-pengalaman psikologinya dan hasratnya dimana ia ingin tetap muda dan cantik dalam waktu yang lama.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER ...... i
APPROVAL PAGE ...... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...... vi
ABSTRACT ...... viiiii
ABSTRAK ...... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... xx
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...... 1
A. Background of The Study ...... 1 B. Scope of The Problem ...... 5 C. Research Question ...... 5 D. Objectives of The Writing ...... 6 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 7
A. Previous Study ...... 7 B. Structural Approach ...... 9 C. Theory of Sadism ...... 15 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...... 18
A. Method of Collecting Data...... 19 B. Method of Analyzing Data...... 19 C. Data Source ...... 20 D. Research Procedure ...... 20 CHAPTER IV: FINDING AND DISCUSSION...... 22
A. Structural Aspects of The Blood Countess ...... 22 B. The Major Conflict Portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory in The Novel ...... 36 C. The Psychological Experiences of Elizabeth Bathory to Her Characterization In The Novel ...... 41 D. The Material and Immaterial Desires Portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory...... 45
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CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...... 48
A. Conclusion ...... 48 B. Suggestion ...... 50 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 51
APPENDICES ...... 53
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms fiction and non- fiction and two major techniques poetry and prose. Literature may consist of texts based on factual information (journalistic or non-fiction), a category that may also include polemical works, biography, and reflective essays, or it may consist of texts based on imagination (such as fiction, poetry, or drama). Fiction is one of the literary works and the result of the art work which employs the process by the writer based on his view, interpretation, and judgment about the events which already happened or emerged in the author’s imagination.
A. Background of The Study
Literature, as the creation and shape of person's emotions, is shown in the form of writing that has a beautiful meaning and artistic. Emotions such as love, happiness, anger, sadness, pain about situation outlined in the beautiful and meaningful written form. Literature is the reflexion about human life. Through literature, writers can pour his thoughts into written forms such as poetry or prose.
Poetry is a literary work that is bound by certain rule, for example rhyme, while the prose are novel, short story, and drama.
A literary work is created through a writer’s imaginative minds, through experience undergone either directly by himself or by others and are usually based on what is happening in society. According to Damono (1984: 10) literature and society is social institutions that use language as a medium: the language itself is a
1 social creation. Literature presents a picture of life and life is a social reality. In this case, life include human relations, inter-community with the person, between people and events that occur in the inner person.
As a creative work, Literature must afford to produce a fine creation and try to express the beauty of the Human’s needs. Literary works are usually concern with people or events since they are produced through the imagination of the writer.
The source of the imagination or inspiration sometimes comes from reality, for instance, religion, culture, history, politic and the living society, the result are mixed with the writer’s interpretation for those events. The production of the literary work is usually considered as author’s creativity work or writing because the writer is able to express the feeling, emotion, thoughts, and ideas.
Fiction is one of the literary works and the result of the art work which employs the process by the writer based on his view, interpretation, and judgment about the events which already happened or emerged in the author’s imagination.
The famous form of fiction existed nowadays is Novel. In the definition of Patricia
Waugh (1989: 197), novel is an artistic genre has been oriented toward the specified genres and connected with specific historical tendencies in verbal ideological life.
The novel bases on the expression of the tense and tight life and is served in the form of fictional story which cover the intrinsic and extrinsic elements. A novel sometimes tells about the human’s life and its various problems occurred due to the interaction with others and the environment. A writer has the ultimate efforts to guide the readers come to the real life description in the story.
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Novel is a long narrative, normally in prose, which describes fictional characters and events, usually in the form of a sequential story. Novel, an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience, usually through a connected sequenced of events involving a group of persons in a specific setting. The novel consists of intrinsic and extrinsic elements. Intrinsic element is the element that builds novel from within; the theme, characterizations, plot, setting, point of view, style, and moral value. As for the extrinsic elements are elements that build up from the outside; such as culture, religion, education and background of the author.
Novel as a literary works has known since eighteenth century in England.
As a story, exactly novel has a subject, performer, or character on it. One of the example of novel is The Blood Countess. It tells about centuries-old story of a legend named Elizabeth Bathory whom lives among retaliation and thirst of sadistic pleasure. It is a fascinating account where the author, Andrei Codrescu managed to draw two stories together consisting of background from the 16th Century
Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, a beautiful and dreadful woman with such intense desire of blood of virgin females. The other part tells about one of
Elizabeth’s descent, a contemporary journalist who must return to his native
Hungary and come to terms with his disturbing past. This journalist name is Drake
Bathory-Kereshtur.
Countess Elizabeth lived under the age of twelve until she grew mature yet brutal her desire gradually rose by the admiring the essential beauty of naked female virgins. Her motif derived from a misleading tale that was used an alternative
3 element of nature to attain her greatest pleasure. Elizabeth believed and in fact she felt that blood was her ecstatic trance of desire. Her act then led to a customary practice which assumed to be a witchcraft or demonic performance and the number of her victims grew by admiration of intense desire and beauty.
One day, Elizabeth Bathory, a daughter of a nobility man in Hungary has all of what the young nobility woman wants, beautifulness, richness, living in a big castle, and served by dozen of servant. Right after her both parent is dead, nobody demanded her to do anything she did not want. She was free to life as he pleased.
As she growing up, she found a moment which changed her way to live, her way to stay young and beautiful.
It started when she got angry to her maid and slapped her maid by her hand which hold a comb because her maid made a mistake to her. The slapping made the face of her maid is bloody, and some of that blood was spattered on Elizabeth’s face. Then Elizabeth sew the skin of her face became more subtle, ageless, and youthful because of that blood.
After reading and studying this novel, the writer can give some information concerning the content through the behavior of the main character of the story.
Based on the explanation above, the writer is interested to analyze why Elizabeth
Bathory has such deviant behaviors, passionate desire and sadistic taste on virgin girls.
The writer addresses this issue into psychological which later it is analyzed by the concept of structuralism as the inner part of a literature work. Focus of analysis which later only concern on two important characters. As the writer think,
4 that way is good in way to examine the meant characters closely. Therefore, the aims on this analysis convey the reason why Countess Elizabeth is very driven with sadistic pleasure and tendency over blood of her people. So, the writer determines the title of this thesis is “Sadism in Codrescu’s The Blood Countess.”
B. Scope of The Problem
The writer realizes and discussed just about psychology in this paper, it takes very broad discussion. Thus, in this thesis, the writer only addresses the issues related to the sadistic behavioral, abnormal desire, and factors that makes Elizabeth
Bathory want to do it.
C. Research Question
Based on the discussion above, thus the writer formulates some questions of problems as follows:
1. What is the major conflict portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory?
2. What does Elizabeth Bathory experience psychological growth to her
characterization?
3. What are the immaterial desires portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory in the
story?
All of the research questions above, the writer thinks the base questions to facilitate the writer in looking the sadism behavior of the main character in this study.
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D. Objectives of The Writing
Every discussion has certain purpose. The purpose of this study or discussion is to grasp the content of the novel as follows:
1. To find out the major conflict portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory.
2. To understand Elizabet Bathory experiences effect psychological
growth to her characterization.
3. To find out the immaterial desires portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory.
In this part of writing, the writer hope that the objective of the writing above could drives the writer easily in discussing this study.
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CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
In every academic paper, it is a necessity to have and to study several of the related study before we are go to the discussion chapter. These related studies, the writer thinks are important because they drive and keep our discussion in line, so that the writing process is efficient and straight to the point.
A. Previous Study
In the process of resolving the issues raised and examined by the writer, the writer looked for some relevant sources. In the process, the writer did not found any writing, paper, or thesis that discussed this novel in any aspect because the novel was relatively new, published in 2006. But, the writer found several theses that discuss a psychological or behavioral deviating aspect in another novel as follows.
The first is thesis from Putrianingrum (2015), it discusses about sadism within the collective short stories. Her thesis entitled Sadisme Dalam Kumpulan
Cerpen Les Crimes De L’amor Karya Marqui De Sade focuses on the characters with dominant behaviors of being sadistic. The sadism acts in her works were categorized individually where the characters assaulted their victims by hurting their feelings and torturing them.
The second one from Agustia (2011) from Andalas University. The thesis is entitled The Unconscious Mind of A Psychopath in Patrick Suskind’s Perfume:
The Story of A Murderer. In this thesis, Nessie Agustia explains about main
7 character’s behavior in the novel, how the main character murdering his victims and make it into a bottle of perfume. She also used psychological approach in her analysis, and as the psychological writing she only focused in deviation behavior from the main character in the novel
The last one is from Ansyary (2015) from Hasanuddin University. The thesis is entitled Deviating Behavior of The Main Character in Day’s “Bared to
You.” In his thesis Hary try to explain the deviating behavior of Eva Tramel as the main character, which addicted to sex. Eva Tramel as a common young girl meets her desired man, a handsome and rich bachelor and she always wants to do intercourse with her desired man, whatever the man do to her in these intercourse
(torture, grabbed, and so on) she does not mind it, as long as she could do intercourse with him.
After reading the related writings about this thesis and based on the previous studies above and the comparisons of both of it, the writer will discuss about and will be focused on sadism of the main character in a novel entitled The Blood
Countess by Andrei Codrescu. The writer thinks that Elizabeth in this novel has some issues.
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B. Structural Approach
The structural approach toward literary works is actually as old as the western world with poetry as a branch of science. In his poetical book, written about 340 BC in Athens (Teeuw, 1984: 120) Aristotle laid a solid foundation for the view that regarded literature as an autonomous structure. He discussed the problem of the structure of literary works in the context of the discussion of tragedy, especially in the sections on the plot. The tragedy effect is generated by the action of the plot, and to produce a good effect, the plot must have the whole and be filled with four main requirements of order, unity, complexity, and coherence.
Structural approach departs from the view of the structuralism that considers the literary work as a structure which its elements are closely intertwined and related to one another. The work of literature is a unified whole. As a unified whole, the work of literature can be understood by its meaning if it is understood by its parts or its constituent elements, the reciprocal relation between the part and the whole. Genetic structural are born as a form of dissatisfaction with structural theory that sees literature as autonomous.
Structuralism specifically refers to the practice of literary criticism which bases its analytical model on modern linguistic theory. Structuralism opposes:
1. Mimetic theory, which holds that literary work is a clone of reality),
2. The expressive theory, which regards literature as primarily the expression
of the author's feelings and character, and theories that regard literature as
the medium of communication between authors and readers.
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Teeuw (1991: 135) reveals that structural analysis of literary texts has a purpose to dismantle or reveal the interrelationships of the elements in literary texts in totality in generating meaning. Teeuw (in Pradopo, 1995: 46) argues that structural analysis is something that must be done to understand prose (both short stories, novels, and novels) by understanding the physical structure and inner structure contained within it.
The characteristic of structuralism is the relationship between patterns or between elements in the text that produce meaning. There is no meaning taken from the outside of the text that produce meaning, for example, involving the role of the author or reader.
Examining a literature requires an objective point of view. It can be found in a form of elements. These elements derive within the text and they are considered as the important features of a story. Novel, in this case, contains with units of constructive idea, partly developed into sequence of functions and meaning. The contents refer to the intrinsic elements which can be obtained by exploring the character, plot, theme and setting.
a. Character
Before we talk about characters, first we should know the meaning of a character itself. There are some theories according to the authors that taken from library’s book. In this connection Kenney (1966: 15) states that people are introduced to the story’s title characters; we are informed that he has a wife, we are told that, like her husband, she is young and we are told that she is pretty.
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Kenney (1966: 20) continues saying about characters that she is adopted by E.M Foster that characters in fiction are divided in to two: “flat” and “round” characters.
Flat (simple) characters: the simple, or flat, character is less the representation of a human personality than embodiment of single attitude or single attitude or obsession in a character. Foster calls this kind of character flat because we see only one side of him. The simple characters can perform many important functions in the work of fiction. Simple character many appear in minor role in serious fiction, but will a major part in interior fiction.
Complex (round) character: at the other end of the spectrum is the complex character, called round by Foster because we see all sides of him. The complex character is obviously more lifelike than the simple, because in life people are not simply embodiments of attitudes. The complex character is in many ways difficult than the simple. The simple character need only repeat his basic formula each business. The fictional character, however complex is not human being. He is himself an artistic creation.
In other sense of term, the treatment of character is a basic part of the play wright’s work. Conventions of the period and the author’s personal vision will affect the treatment of character. Most plays contain main character and minor character essential to the play. In addition, Aminudin (1995: 79) explain that the character is:
Seseorang atau benda lain yang mengemban peristiwa dalam fiksi sehingga peristiwa itu dapat membuat cerita lebih hidup. “A person or and other thing that carry out of the event in the fiction till that event can make the story livelier.”
Furthermore, Dickinson (1968: 17) states that: “Character is the person who can contribute to a story in several ways.” There are two kinds of character; they are the main character and minor character (supporting character). This explanation based on Aminudin (1995:79-80) who states that:
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Para tokoh yang terdapat dalam suatu cerita memiliki peranan yang berbeda-beda. Seseorang tokoh yang memiliki peranan penting dalam suatu cerita disebut dengan tokoh inti atau tookh utama. Sedangkan tokoh yang memiliki peranan yang tidak penting karena pemunculannya hanya melengka, melayani, mendukung pelaku utama disebut tokoh tambahan atau tokoh pembantu.
It means that characters in story have difference character. A character has important character story is called main character, while a character that’s character is less important, because her/his play completely, to support, to work with main character only. It is called minor character or supporting character. b. Plot
Readers have defined a story as a narrative events arrange in their time- sequence. A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality.
A plot cannot be told a gaping audience of cavemen or to a tyrannical sultan or to their modern descendant the movie-public. They can only be kept awake by
“And then—and then—“they can only supply curiosity. But a plot demands intelligence and memory also. Forster (1927: 130-131).
Nurgiyantoro (2003: 113) mentions that the plot is a story that contains the sequence of events, but each event is only related in causation, an event that cause or led to the occurrence of another event. While, Scholes (1981:21) states that the plot is often conceive of as moving through five distinct sections as follow:
1) Rising Action
Rising action is the moment when the conflict in fiction appears. The
conflict is then developed gradually and intensified.
2) Climax
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Climax is the top of story when the plot reaches its point of greatest
emotional intensity. It is the turning point of the plot directly precipitating its
resolution.
3) Falling Action
Falling action is the one crisis or turning point had been reached. The
tension subsides and the plot moves toward it appointed conclusion.
4) Resolution
Resolution is the final section of the plot. It refers as the outcome of the
conflict and establishes some new equilibrium stability. c. Setting
Another part of structure in a literary works is setting. The setting is a description of the time, place, and atmosphere of the events in the story. The characters in the story live on a certain place and time (period). Therefore, the events experienced by the characters of the story occur at a certain time and also place. So, where it happened and when it happened it was called setting. The background which is referred in a story can be either factual or imaginary.
Scholes (1981: 36) setting is a term that, in it is broadest sense, encompasses both the physical local that frame the action and the time of day or year, the climatic conditions, and the historical period during which the action takes place. At it is most basic, setting helps the reader visualize the action of the work, thus adds credibility and an air of authenticity to the characters.
Setting in fiction is called on to perform a number of desired functions.
Setting may serve (1) to provide background for the action; (2) as an antagonist;
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(3) as a means of creating appropriate atmosphere; (4) as a means of revealing character; and (5) as a means of reinforcing theme. These function must not, however, be thought of as mutually exclusive. In many works of fiction, setting can and does perform a number of different functions simultaneously. Pickering and Hoeper (1986: 37)
Setting is divided into two kind, they are physical setting and also the social setting.
1. Physical setting includes the time, places, and the conditions when the
story happens.
2. Social setting is also called as abstract setting. Because it is includes the
implicit settings of the story. Such as the conditions of the characters when
the story happened and the relations of the culture, psychology, society,
and others implicit setting else. d. Theme
The most contemporary understanding of theme is an idea or concept that is central to a story, which can often be sum in a single word. Scholes (1981: 52) mentions as:
Theme is one of those critical terms that mean very different things to different people. Theme in literature, whether it takes the form of brief and meaningful insight or comprehensive vision of life, is the author way of communicating and sharing ideas, perceptions, and feelings with his readers or, as is so often the case, of probing and exploring with them the puzzling questions of human existence, most of which do not yield neat, tidy, and universally acceptable answer.
The statement above describes that theme is not the issue or problem but the theme is the comment or statement the author makes about that subject as it
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necessary and inevitably emerges from the interplay of the various elements of
the works. Nurlimang (2014: 18)
C. Theory of Sadism
Sadism in general concept can be interpreted as violence, torture, wilderness, sexual abuse which experienced by hurting other people both physical and mental.
The word “sadism” comes from the name of a historical figure, the infamous
Marquis de Sade (Louis Donatien Francois Alphonse de Sade [1740–1814]), a
French count, writer, and philosopher. The term was first used by the psychiatrist
Richard von Krafft-Ebing (1840–1902). Known for a lifestyle of excess, de Sade took part in violent sexual play with prostitutes, engaged in orgies with men and women, and was eventually and repeatedly charged with sexual crimes for which he was forced to serve prison sentences. While in and out of prisons and asylums, he wrote racy yet philosophical novels and plays. De Sade shone a bright light on sexual practices that many people of the age wished to keep in the dark.
In his Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905), Freud referred to
Krafft-Ebing's writings and formed his own psychoanalytic theories around the general characteristics of sadism and masochism. Freud's discussion of sadism and masochism, like that of Krafft-Ebing, concludes that the two are "the most common and the most significant of all the perversions" (Freud 1963: 23). Sadism is instinctual and tied to a life-preserving aggression. Freud writes of this aggressive quality specifically in males as a natural, biologically determined, desire to subjugate, to quash the resistance of the sexual object and thus ensure coitus.
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Sadism is the exaggeration of such aggression to the point that the push for violence becomes a dominant, or the dominant, sexual necessity.
In his early view, Freud considered masochism to be a secondary process born out of sadism, though he changed his opinion and saw masochism as primary in
Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1924). In this second configuring of sadism and masochism, sadism is no longer a foundational reparative outpouring of violence meant to enforce mastery. Instead it is a tool enforcing an always masochistic death instinct. In either case, Freud points to the striking relationship between sadism and masochism—all sadists harbor masochistic tendencies within themselves and vice versa. Though the characteristics of one of these perversions are heightened in an individual, the capacity for the other is always within reach.
By routing our understanding of sadism and masochism through Freud's views of the pleasure principle, theorists like Judith Butler find that a more thorough investigation of sadism and masochism is precluded and subsumed within Freud's generalized and highly speculative theorizing of instincts. Whether one agrees with
Butler or not, Freud's writing on sadism and its relation to masochism helped publicize the universality of S/M tendencies and further detailed the complexity and interrelatedness of the two poles. Though Freud's work is still used to delineate and construct normativity, his studies also stressed the universality of neurotic abnormality and helped create a forum for discussing such topics as sadism and masochism.
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The deviant behavior is well-defined in action and desire by the Blood
Countess. In the story, Elizabeth Bathory was mistaken by many people that she somehow performed a ritual conveying element of witchcraft. Her behavior was considered as a sinner because it occurred sadistically. She was desired to punish her maids, tortured them until they were dying and finally bathed over their blood.
Her scheme alone was not done by herself but her companions as well.
On the previous study, Sanggar Putrianingrum (2015) discusses about sadism within the collective short stories. Her thesis entitled Sadisme Dalam Kumpulan
Cerpen Les Crimes De L’amor Karya Marqui De Sade focuses on the characters with dominant behaviors of being sadistic. The sadism acts in her works were categorized individually where the characters assaulted their victims by hurting their feelings and torturing them. This thesis found that sadism acts are done both mentally and physically.
The inside story of The Blood Countess also has the same issue with sadism and the main character alone named Elizabeth Bathory is powerful enough to channel her interest in abusive ways. Thus, the writer shows the same perspective to explore more about Elizabeth Bathory and how she was possessed with such deviant behavior.
So that, in general, sadism is cruelty, savagery, ferocity and rudeness, or the satisfaction gained by hurting others. This characteristic is defined as the satisfaction gained by hurting others (cherished) physically or spiritually.
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CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research methodology is a set of rules, activities, and procedures used by the perpetrators of a discipline. The methodology is also a theoretical analysis about a way or method. Research is a systematic investigation to increase the amount of knowledge, is also a systematic and organized effort to investigate the particular problems that require answers. The nature of the research can be understood by studying the various aspects that encourage research to do research.
This study is designed to obtain the answers about the deviating behavior and its causal factor of Andrei Codrescu novel entitled The Blood Countess.
Concerning the statement above, in this research the writer used qualitative method as the reference method. According to Furchan (2004: 447) in Metode Penelitian
Kualitatif describes, “Penelitian deskriptif adalah penelitian yang dirancang untuk memperoleh informasi tentang status suatu gejala saat penelitian di lakukan.” The technique which used in this method is descriptive analysis, where the data are carefully examined for the intention to try to analyze the novel descriptively with the emphasis on the main character’s utterances and how about the arguments of people around the main character.
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A. Method of Collecting Data
To collecting the data that will be used by the writer to support the completion of this writing, the writer take several steps to assist the process. The steps are as follows:
a. Reading and understanding the novel carefully for several times to know
and to understand the whole story in the novel.
b. Classifying and limiting the data according to the research question.
c. Evaluating the data that had been collected before.
d. Selecting the materials or sources are with the problems and the purpose of
the study.
The sources of data were generally described as follows:
a. The main data or primary data of this study were obtained from the novel
The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu
b. To support the analysis of primary data, the writer collected the Secondary
data by reading some written material that relevant to the research. The data
were obtained from books, internet, journals, articles, dictionaries and
thesis.
B. Method of Analyzing Data
The activity to understand and comprehend the literary work needed suitable approach. In this discussion, the writer used structural analytical approach
19 as the data analysis.The data of the study are paragraph and dialogue (characters utterances) of the event that exist in the novel. The steps to analyze data are as follows:
1. Reviewing the data that have been collected.
2. Reviewing the theories that will be used to analyze.
3. Write it down the conclusion based on the data analysis.
In analyzing the data, the writer used qualitative descriptive. This technique uses words that are descriptive because it describes the method of the object to be examined. This method helps the writer to describe the problem to be investigated and classified and to limit the object to be examined.
C. Data Source
The writer had chosen the novel of The Blood Countess as the source of the data. Whereas, the data for the research comprised all sentences and dialogues which were related to the character’s characterization. This novel was first published in 1995, United States of America by Simon & Schuster.
D. Research Procedure
In this research, the writer take several steps as follows:
1. Read the novel carefully and read several times.
2. Find the problems related to the research question.
3. Collect the data that support the process of analysis.
20
4. Limit the problem in order to keep the study in track.
5. Find the solution in each problem that is found in this study.
6. Present this study in form of thesis.
The writer thinks that the formulated step of procedures above is very helpful in guiding the writer to the discussion, in order that the discussion makes time efficient and the discussion not going abroad.
21
CHAPTER IV
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
The Blood Countess is a novel which classified as an ‘historical-fiction’
(adult) genre. The story tells about a deviating behavior or un-normal desire of a woman as its main character. Elizabeth Bathory, the main character of the story narrated as a young pretty noblewoman who has a deviating behavior, in this case is sadism. As the writer of this discussion which has read the story, it could depict like unusual behavior, that the main character is very addicted to blood of young woman.
Then, below discussions will deals with the analysis which is the answer of the research questions that stated in Chapter one. This chapter means to reveals about the structural aspects of the novel, un-normal desire and or sadistic behavior, the conflict of the main character, and psychological matters of the main character of the novel. The furthermore discussions are as follows.
A. Structural Aspects of The Blood Countess
There must be “something” that builds a literary work. The writer means
that a story in a literature work like novel had such a framework or base which
builds its story. Like a group of skeleton that builds the body of a human. Those
skeletons makes the body looks well-regulated, makes the body strong.
Structure, anything in this life had it as its base. It is structure, which builds a
literary work like novel. Structure makes the story of a novel regulated as well.
As the writer, the discussion about the structure of the novel in this study is
limited just on character, plot, setting, and theme. The reason is because those
22 four elements are in line with the objective of the research. Furthermore explanation about it as follows.
1. Characters
There are some experts that gives some statements about character.
One of it, Dickinson (1968: 17) states that: “Character is the person who
can contribute to a story in several ways.” The other one is Aminuddin
(1995: 79-80) he states that character is “Seseorang atau benda lain yang
mengemban peristiwa dalam fiksi sehingga peristiwa itu dapat membuat
cerita lebih hidup.” Then, he is continuing his state about character, he
states that “Para tokoh yang terdapat dalam suatu cerita memiliki peranan
yang berbeda-beda. Seseorang tokoh yang memiliki peranan penting dalam
suatu cerita disebut dengan tokoh inti atau tokoh utama. Sedangkan tokoh
yang memiliki peranan yang tidak penting karena pemunculannya hanya
melengka, melayani, mendukung pelaku utama disebut tokoh tambahan
atau tokoh pembantu.”
As we can see from two statements above, character is a must in a
story. Also, the characters of a story are divided into two. They are main and
minor character. In The Blood Countess there are several characters that bear
its story and its role. In this subchapter, the writer will discuss not all of the
characters in novel, only several of it, the writer means that just the
important character which makes the story attractive. They are Elizabeth
Bathory, Andrei de Kereshtur, Drake Bathory, Darvuila, and Prof. Lilly
Hangress. Let’s see the furthermore discussions about it below.
23 a. Elizabeth Bathory
Elizabeth Bathory is the main character in the story, she is a female
antagonist. She is the child of Baron George Bathory and Baroness Anna
Bathory. In the story, she is depicted as a noblewoman from Hungary,
Budapest. Elizabeth known as the countess of Ecsed castle in Budapest.
She have two older sister called Anichka and Shandra. Elizabeth also
depicting has a young notary called Andrei de Kereshtur, Andrei
Keresthur also her friend of her childhood.
In 1569, when Elizabeth was nine years old, a band of peasant came into Ecsed castle, where she was spending the summer with her two older sisters, Anichka and Shandra. (Codrescu, 1995: 25).
She’d asked her mother that she be accompanied by her nurse Darvuilla, her maids Teresa and Lena, and the young notary, Andrei de Kereshtur. (Codrescu, 1995: 69).
Andrei de Keresthur, the friend of her childhood had become a great magician. (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
Elizabeth was engaged with Franz Nadazdy. She loves music and
had chosen some practical skills like archery, jousting, and sword
fighting to fill up her free time, she also was skillful in language.
Elizabeth believed in magic and desired to be beautiful in different
century. She has two maids, and one nurse. That nurse is closer to her
than her two maids, she called Dravuila. She take care of her since her
childhood, which chosen by her father carefully called Darvuila. As the
main character in the story who bear a antagonist character, she is
depicted as a heartless countess which killed 650 girls.
24
Johannes spoke, German, Latin, and Greek, but no Hungarian. Elizabeth, who knew all those languages except Greek, was proud to show off her skill. (Codrescu, 1995: 55).
Andrei de Kereshtur, the friend of her childhood had become a great magician. He had promised her shyly but firmly thet he would use his magical arts to defeat time on her behalf...... Elizabeth believed him. Her time had been nothing but sorrow. She looked forward to being beautiful in a different century. (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
She’d asked her mother that she be accompanied by her nurse Darvuila, her maids Teresa and Lena, ..... (Codrescu, 1995: 69).
Darvuila had been carefully chosen by Baron George Bathory, Elizabeth’s father, when he had still been relatively lucid. (Andrei Codrescu, 1995: 71).
Jacob Silvazy, the overseer at Castle Cahtice, produced in evidence a register in the countess’s own handwriting where she had recorded the names of 650 girls she had killed. (Codrescu, 1995: 333).
b. Andrei de Kereshtur
Andrei de Kereshtur is one of the important characters in the story,
he is a male protagonist character. He is the son of the castle’s chief
notary, this honor position is given hereditarily from his ancestor. In the
story, He is depicted as young notary of Ecsed Castle, Hungary. Andrei
also known as countess Elizabeth childhood friend. Andrei de Keresthur
depicted as an alchemist and a great magician, he also love music. Story
tells that Andrei was born the same year as Elizabeth Bathory.
Andrei de Keresthur, the friend of her childhood had become a great magician. (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
25
...., was Andrei Kereshtur, the young notary of Bathory Family. (Codrescu, 1995: 75).
Andrei was the son of the castle’s chief notary. .... The Position of notary was hereditary, being passed on to the heir most likely to honor the position. (Codrescu, 1995: 75).
As one of the important character in the story who bears a
protagonist character, he is depicted as a close friend of Countess
Elizabeth, he like to hear the Countess adventurous about escapades. He
is depicted as a persevering and good student. According to the story, he
is a hard-worker, he preferred to through the process than have to leaping.
He also love orderliness and neatness.
He was a good student, but he plodded instead of leaping. Nonetheless he never forgot what he had once committed o memory. Andrei was like a library of sorts: one could ask for a date or name, and if he had once heard it or read it, it would spring immediately to his lips. (Codrescu, 1995: 76). c. Drake Bathory
Drake Bathory is one of the important characters in the story, he is
a male protagonist character. He is the son of Julius Kereshtur and Eva
Bathory. He was born in Budapest during World War II, but lately
emigrated to United States after the revolution of Hungaria. In the story,
he is depicted as young American journalist who have two girlfirend.
These are the facts. I am an Hungarian-American, born during World War II in the city of Budapest. I emigrated to the united States after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, ... (Codrescu, 1995: 21).
I am the son of Julius Keresthur, a mine inspector, and Eva Bathory, a printer. (Codrescu, 1995: 36).
26
Mari kissed me passionately, but she rejected all my other, .... My other girlfriend, Eva kissed me too, but she didn’t reject any advances. (Codrescu, 1995: 47).
Drake was an orphan, his father died because heart attack, then his
mother died one year later after the death of his father. His father was a
Chatolic and his mother was a Protestant. As a descent of countess
Bathory who live in 20th century, he was the person who later being
investigated by the judge in court about his ancestor case who killed 650
girls in 16th century.
My father’s Chatolic religion and my mother’s Protestant faith had an underground life, if any. (Codrescu, 1995: 94).
My father died suddenly of a heart attack during one of his evening poker games. (Codrescu, 1995: 98).
I am going to make a lengthy statement, Your Exelency. (Codrescu, 1995: 20). d. Darvuila
Darvuila is one of the important characters in the story, she is a
female protagonist character. She is a nurse of Countess Elizabeth
Bathory which chosen carefully by George Bathory (Elizabeth’s Father).
Darvuila was nursed Countess Elizabeth since Elizabeth’s early age. She
is the best maid of Countess Elizabeth.
Her best maid, Darvuila, brought a pail of water from the house. (Codrescu, 1995: 17).
Darvuila, Elizabeth’s nurse since her earliest days-she had only escaped the masacre... . (Codrescu, 1995: 69).
27
Darvuila told long and beautiful stories that were sad and sweet like her milk. Elizabeth was alternately dreamy and happy at her breast. (Codrescu, 1995: 71).
Story tells that Darvuila nursed and feed Countess Elizabeth with
milk from her own breasts. As a nurse, she always told Elizabeth stories.
She is a part of Countess Elizabeth’s inquisitive and intelligent, she also
full of stories to tell to Elizabeth. Beetwen Elizabeth’s maids, only
Darvuila could make Countess Elizabeth happy.
But Darvuila’s greatest secret was Elizabeth. She had nursed her with milk from her own breast. (Codrescu, 1995: 69).
She had held her, told her stories, and praised her brightly. From her tenderest years, the Countess had been inquisitive and intelligent. She would not rest until she understood to her satisfaction what a particular word meant. (Codrescu, 1995: 70).
Darvuila, the wet nurse of my mistress Elizabeth, was full of stories as she was of milk. (Codrescu, 1995: 80).
2. Plot
Plot is one of the intrinsic elements parts which is developed the story
of the novel, the author’s way to run the story from the first till the end.
Generally the plot is the series events in the story. In object of this study,
The Blood Countess, the writer found that the plot is attractive. The author,
Andrei Codrescu was put his best to do the plot of the story nicely. Based
on the steps of a plot from Charter (1974:1336), the writer will discuss about
it as follows.
28 a. Rising Action
In this part of plot, there are conflicts that became serious problems.
The rising action of a plot is the series of events that build up and create
tension and suspense. This tension is a result of the basic conflict that
exists and makes the story interesting.
In this part, Andrei Codrescu puts the rising action in chapter 5th.
The rising action starts when Countess Elizabeth want to see her maid’s
whole skin, Teresa. In this case, Teresa hoped that Countess had not seen
the purple bruises on her left breast caused by peacock’s batter. She was
pretended not to understand at first when Countess Elizabeth want to see
her whole skin, she begging to Elizabeth not to think that her bruises were
the result of amorous tryst, but Elizabeth did not care where her bruises
came from. Countess Elizabeth just want to see her whole skin.
Soon after Elizabeth ordered her to take off her dress, Elizabeth see
Teresa naked and ordered Teresa to turn around in order to see Teresa’s
whole part of body and skin. There was several things that intrigued
Countess Elizabeth at the time, the first one is Teresa breasts, Elizabeth
said that Teresa’s breasts not like Darvuila’s, the second one is Teresa
bruises, and the last one is the red hair that sprouted in luxuriant
abundance between her legs and under her arms. Countes Elizabeth
realized that she had none one of those things.
After see Teresa naked, the buried desire of Countess Elizabeth
appears. The meant desire is desire to torture, her mystic desire to taste
29
the blood to her skin, to make her young in a different century. Elizabeth
pinched one of Teresa’s nipples until Teresa cried out, then she grabbed
as much of Teresa’s red bush as she could hold. That morning, Countess
Elizabeth asked Teresa to give some pain to her, to give her some bruises.
In this part, there is nothing bloody things yet, because that morning
Countess Elizabeth is starving.
There were three things about Teresa that intrigued Elizabeth: her breast, which unlike her nurse Darvuila’s did not hang down to her belly button; her bruises; and the red hair that sprouted in luxuriant abundance between her legs and under her arms. Elizabeth had none of those things. (Codrescu, 1995: 129).
Next Elizabeth grabbed as much of Teresa’s red bush as her hand could hold, and she yanked, repeating peevishly the fact that between her own legs no such growth was yet visible. (Codrescu, 1995: 129).
b. Climax
The climax of the story is the turning point of a story. It happens
just before the characters solve the problem of the story, and usually ends
up near the middle of the story.
In this part, Andrei Codrescu puts the rising action in chapter 7th.
The rising action starts when Countess Elizabeth knows that her husband,
Franz Nadazdy passed away after war with Turkish. That evening, Franz
Nadazdy ordered a raid on a nearby village, at the time Turkish offensive
was growing in earnest. She then imagine her husband figure. In her
mind, Elizabeth saw Franz, his armor covered in blood, steering his horse
on the field of corpses.
30
After that incident, she saw her husband lying with other corpses.
She also saw her husband’s soldiers lying and covered with blood. By
that incident, afterwards she watched her husband and his soldiers lying
as a corpse and covered with blood, she then asked Darvuila to bring two
of the new girls to her chamber, she ordered them to lie next to her under
to be tortured and taste their blood. That is how the problems begin.
In her mind’s eye, she saw him laying siege to the Turkish Dombra Fortress at the Danube river. The Turkish army defending the past to Dombra had been vanquished. Five thousand Hungarians and eight thousand Turks perished in the clash. (Codrescu, 1995: 221).
c. Falling action
The falling action winds down the central conflict of a story and
moves toward resolution. It concludes with the resolution of the story,
at which point the story's central conflicts are resolved.
In this stage, as the writer reads, the tension were ran down. Falling
action starts when the singer Ilona Harszy disappear in the end of the year
1599, another rumors of Elizabeth that her evil deeds grew alarmingly.
Lately, the disappearance of Ilona is realized and makes the suspicion of
several people occurs, one of them is Preacher Ponikenuz. The
disappearance of Ilona later followed by the twin daughters of a Russia
princess and the only daughter of an Austrian widow.
Preacher Ponikenuz wrote a letter to King Matthias and Emperor
Rudolfo demanding an investigation. This investigation were intend to
find out the death of Ilona and some the princess. As the response of
31
Preacher Ponikenuz’s letter, King Matthias summoned his prime
minister, palatine Thurzo and ordered him to look into it, while Emperor
Rudolf instructed his spies to gather anything pertaining evidences.
Along the investigate, Rudolf requested formally to King
Matthias II that Countess Bathory must be seen by the imperial court and
by the representative of the Holy Roman Church in order to ascertain her
faith. In other hand, palatine Thurzo, Elizabeth’s uncle, maintained the
proper forum for the investigation was the family court. Palatine Thurzo
was think that the Countess was offended the laws in her own courts. In
short, as the writer reads, the falling action occurs when the trial of
Countess Elizabeth is about to start.
After the disappearance of the singer Ilona Harszy at the end of the year 1599, rumors Elizabeth Bathory’s evil deeds grew alarmingly. Lutheran preachers Ponikenuzz and Mergery preached against her in the churches, calling her a witchand demanding that she be burned at the stake. Ponikenuz wrote to both King Matthias and Emperor Rudolf demaanding an investigation. King Matthias who still loved Elizabeth, summoned his prime minister, the palatine Thurzo, and ordered him to look into it. (Codrescu, 1995: 325).
d. Resolution
This is the last part of plot, which is the readers get the description
about how story ends. In this part, all patterns of events accomplish some
32 artistic or emotional effect. Resolution is the end in a story and the end is needed to resolve any issues that the plot created.
This part is begun when the official inquest of the palatine toward
Elizabeth which presided over the family court in 1611. In this stage, in a periode of four years, 350 witnesses testified about the crimes of
Countess Elizabeth. Count Thurzo was elected Lord Palatine of Hungary in order to protect all the good persons and punish the evil without fear or favor.
Along the inquest, 350 witnesses testified about the crimes of
Elizabeth Bathory. Among them were the countess’s close associates
Daarvuila, Jo Anna Tohka, Helena Jo, Selena, and Ficzko. Jo Anna
Tohka testified that she had the girls undress stark naked, thrown to the ground and tortured. Dorothea also testified that the countess also froze the naked girls to death by pouring water over them. She also witnessed that the thing that countess most like is to bite of a girl’s flesh or shoulder.
Soon after their testimonies, they were sentenced to die for their refusal to talk.
Pastor Ponikenuz also reporting a hearsay that from the very mouths of the girls who survived the torture process, that some of the boys were forced to eat the girl’s flesh roasted on a fire. A folk doctor called Barbely Ambus also told the high commission in inquest that no one was allowed into mistress’s bedroom but her three or four trusted
33
maids, who brought her girls. After all the testimonies, the inquest was
end by the imprisonment of Countess Elizabeth in Cahtice Castle
permanently.
The official Inquest of palatine, who presided over the family court, began in 1611. Over a period of four years, 350 witnesses testified about the crimes of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, mistress at Kereshtur, Sarvar, Lockenhaus, and a score of other castle in the kingdom of Hungary. (Codrescu, 1995: 332).
His Highness Count George Thurzo was elected Lord Palatine of Hungary in order to protect all the good persons and punish the evil without fear or favor. (Codrescu, 1995: 332).
3. Setting
Another element of intrinsic is setting. It refers to condition, place,
and time in a story. The setting will tell us both the time and place of the
story. It may also reveal the mood of the story. The explanation about setting
we can see as follows.
Time: late 16th century – early 17th century.
On the last day of the sixteenth century, Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, despondent over the irremediable passage of time ...... (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
When sufficient evidence was first obtained in the year 1611, Thurzo ordered Elizabeth’s imprisonment at Cahtice be made permanent. (Codrescu, 1995: 339).
Place: Budapest, Hungary.
.... Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, despondent over the irremediable passage of time, angered at the betrayal of her
34
flesh, and sorrowed beyond measure at the passing of her youth, ordered her maids to break all the mirrors in her hilltop mansion at Budapest. (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
Mood and atmosphere: sadism; erotic.
Jacob Silvazy, the overseer at Castle Cahtice, produced in evidence a register in the countess’s own handwriting where she had recorded the names of 650 girls she had killed. (Codrescu, 1995: 333).
Klara lay down on the canopy bed and opened her legs to display herself to Elizabeth, who had only just begun to grow soft down on her pedendum. (Codrescu, 1995: 173).
Elizabeth lay on the soft pillows of her aunt’s breasts, feeling like a tiny ant crawling on the body of a giantess. With her left hand, Klara took the wooden phallus and inserted inside herself. She then instructed Elizabeth to move her hips up and down so that the monstrous wood would go back and forth. (Codrescu, 1995: 173).
4. Theme
This is the last stage of intrinsic elements. Theme is the aspect of the
story which in line with the meaning in the human’s experience; something
which makes the experience so memorable. An author never mentions
clearly the theme in his story so the readers are free to identify what they
have read. Each reader has authority to point the theme according what they
understand in the story.
As we know, Elizabeth Bathory is a noblewoman who trapped on her
own desire which later drives her to sadistic behavior. The meant desire was
she want to be young and beautiful in a different century. The meant thing
that she believe could make her beautiful and young in a long time was
35
blood, she also was believed in magic. In order to make her desire come
true, she as a countess torture the young girls as she wants, taste their blood,
feed her skin with their blood.
After read the novel carefully, the writer concluded that the genre of
this novel is historical-fiction. It is historical because the novel itself was
appointed or adopted based from actual event or true story in Hungary at
16th century. The true story about Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary
also has been adopted into a movie in 2009 with the title The Countess.
There are several differences between the novel and the film, one of it is
several of characters’ names, but both the film and the novel clearly tells by
its story that the theme is thriller.
B. The Major Conflict Portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory in The Novel
Elizabeth Bathory painted by the story of the novel as the prolific female
killer, discussions about her says that she is a virtuous woman framed for
political reasons by those who despised her religion and feared her influence.
Regardless what kind of woman she has, the true thing that she was tortured
about 650 of young girls in sixteenth century.
Most people believe Elizabeth Bathory was one the most notorious
figures in Central Europe, known throughout history as the so-called “Blood
Countess”. This 16th century Hungarian noblewoman was accused of
murdering dozens, possibly hundreds of young girls in sadistic rituals at
Cahtice Castle in present-day Slovakia, and then bathing in their blood.
36
Elizabeth Bathory has been labeled as the greatest female mass murderer in history, yet very little evidence has ever been found to prove that claim.
As we know, that Countess Elizabeth Bathory had a desire that drives her to the sadistic behavior. The sadistic behavior that she do is to fulfill her desire to look beautiful and young as long as her alive by young girls’ blood. Vicious ways like cutting off, choking, stabbing, slapping, torturing, even killing she do to the young girls in order to get their fresh blood. These acts later put her in a conflict. As the writer found, the sadistic behavior that Countess Elizabeth
Bathory made is a serious conflict.
The girl’s purity was like spring water to her thirst. (Codrescu, 1995: 13). She stood before the girl and first slapped her across the face, then scratched her cheek with her nails. Blood streamed through the skin. She then tore the white shift from the girl’s body. (Codrescu, 1995: 16).
Elizabeth Bathory was the heir of her father’s throne. As a noblewoman who lived among glory and authority after the death of her parents she was arbitrarily use her authority to get what she desired the most. Nobody was prohibited her to do anything she did not want. As we can see from the story’s fragments of the novel above, Countess Elizabeth Bathory was following her desire to get what she want. She want to be beautiful and young in a long time.
Elizabeth Bathory believed that the blood of young girls could keep her skin ageless.
In doing her heartless action, she was assisted by her best maid called
Darvuila, who nursed him since early age. She was innocently doing such vicious ways to torture young girls to get their blood. Countess Elizabeth
37
Bathory was feeding her skin with blood. Countess Elizabeth Bathory was heartless. She did not realize that her actions later drive her to a conflict.
Most of the witnesses who testified against her were from the lower classes that inhabited the lands surrounding the Countess’ properties, but some members of the lower nobility were also questioned by the prosecutor. If we are to believe their testimonies, Bathory comes across as a Dracula-type monster who killed virgin young women for pleasure. The writer argued that she viciously tortured the girls before killing them: sticking needles in their fingernails, over their body, and in their eyes; tearing out flesh with hot tongs, which she also inserted in their genitals; cutting them into pieces, etc.
When I was growing up, her name was used casually whenever someone wanted to make point that something was gruesome. For instance, people would point to a scary old house and say, “Looks like Countess Bathory lived there!” Mothers told their daughters: “If you do not obey me, you’re going to Countess Bathory’s house.” As a child, was sure that it was my house that they spoke of. The fact that it was my mother’s name made me ashamed. (Codrescu, 1995: 36).
I came to America precisely in order to abandon my haunted European self. (Codrescu, 1995: 67).
And the reason I stand before this court accusing myself of a murder that was not my doing. (Codrescu, 1995: 20).
I have spent forty years trying to escape my name, Your Honour. I have enjoyed the blessed anonymity of America since the day I came here, a refugee, in 1956. (Codrescu, 1995: 20).
As a noble, Elizabeth had the right to do as she wished to the peasants under her rule, and the best they might be entitled to (even for her killing them) was financial compensation. As the time pass, the leading desire of Elizabeth
38
Bathory were get bigger. The effect of Countess Elizabeth’s vicious actions came one by one.
It mentioned well above, that people were suffered from all forms of hysteria and gossip spread quickly. Remember that this is the same time period where people thought that those with any dramatic symptoms could also be possessed. It was believed that demoniacal forces were attracted to those who were prone to melancholy, particularly single women (especially this woman, who had a lot of property she was not giving up).
Another effect was touched one of her descent called Drake Bathory in early 20th century. Drake Bathory who was born in different centuries after the death of Countess Elizabeth Bathory have to bear the negative effect of his ancestor’s deed.
It is this writer’s opinion that where there is smoke there is fire. Though the number of victims was no doubt exaggerated, it is unlikely that a murder frame would have got so elaborate to suggest that there were over 650 victims when a few choice ones would have no doubt sufficed to condemn her. Neither would a framed murderer have been allowed to live bricked up in a room until their natural death if the crown had elected to scapegoat her for their purposes.
On the last day of the sixteenth century, Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, despondent over the irremediable passage of time ...... (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
Many years later, after he had served as chief judge of the commission that investigated Elizabeth Bathory, Palatine Thurzo wrote about the terrible fate that had befallen his nieces-that wolves were kinder to them than Elizabeth Bathory would have been. (Codrescu, 1995: 45).
39
Elizabeth Bathory was born into a prominent Transylvanian family that possessed countless properties throughout Hungary, making them the richest landowners in the Kingdom. According to confessions and stories, it was during the period between Nadazdy’s death and Elizabeth’s imprisonment in
1610 that Elizabeth’s tortures and murders started or intensified.
Countess Elizabeth Bathory was disregarded the humanity, even the law.
She thought that she could do anything she want, she thought that she had the power and authority as a noble who inherit her father’s throne. As we can see from quotes above, Countess Elizabeth Bathory was regretting her sadism action at the end.
She made a conflict by her un-normal desire and sadistic behavior. She never thought that her sadism action will ended badly, At the end, she was imprisoned by the kingdom’s court. Overall, it is impossible to be completely confident in either proclaiming Bathory’s innocence or her guilt. However, unless any further evidence emerges to completely free her of the accusations.
Witness testimony implicated them quite severely in the crimes and the
Countess herself was recorded to have said that she had been driven to murder because she was afraid of them.
The investigation into the Countess’s crimes lasted for months and the execution of the four accomplices would have been a particularly cruel addition to the case if they were conducted merely for giving weight to the Crown’s position. Throwing a spanner in the works in the end, the Countess managed to
40
pass her properties onto her children before her sentencing so even that, had it
been the ultimate purpose of her persecution, failed.
C. The Psychological Experiences of Elizabeth Bathory to Her
Characterization In The Novel
According to the writer, in the story, Elizabeth Bathory has been labeled
as the greatest female mass murderer. Hungarians know her as the Vampire
Countess who used to bathe in the blood of virgins to regain and maintain her
youth. The Countess has fascinated the public since her arrest in 1610 and
despite attempts to erase her from history by going as far as forbidding the
mention of her name, she has never the less dominated our imaginations from
the very beginning of her story.
This subchapter is consists of the psychological experiences of the main
character. The following quotes of the novel and the discussion below are the
writer considered as the psychological matters upon Elizabeth Bathory.
Elizabeth had been wearing the color of mourning for many years now. Franz had died for her more than a decade ago. (Codrescu, 1995: 14).
And anyway, dear Uncle, she whispered to the palatine, today I mourn my own passing. I am on my widow now. (Codrescu, 1995: 14).
From the quotes of the novel above, we can see that Countess Elizabeth
Bathory was deeply mourning about the death of her husband, she widowed.
Later, the mere presence of her husband’s rotting body was no impediment to
her widowhood. According to the writer, the reality that Franz Nadazdy die has
brought a psychological effect toward Elizabeth Bathory. Her mourning and
her insincerity about the death of her husband were following by heavy
41 responsibility, which later have to bear by herself, that she must continue to raise her children, must continue the course of the kingdom by herself. As the writer thinks, those things are heavy-handed tasks which could bring us to stress.
Franz Nadazdy was one of the chief commanders and held the function of chief captain of the Hungarian troops. He was present at almost all battles and fought till his death in the battles of the fifteen-years war. Franz Nadazdy and Elizabeth Bathory had been married for 29 years. Before dying, Franz
Nadazdy entrusted his heirs and widow to George Thurzo, who would eventually lead the investigation into Elizabeth’s crimes.
He died in 1604 at the age of 48. It is recorded in the story of the novel that the Black Knight of Hungary died of a mysterious and sudden illness in the middle of a battle. Count Franz Nadazdy had suffered a disease of the lower limbs for at least two years before succumbing to the illness. Only that he had been ill for a longer time. It might have been a result of permanent physical strain in the battles against the Turks, consequences of life in military camps, riding, injuries etc.
Elizabeth and her sisters were hastily bundled up in blankets by their nurses and carried through a secret passageway under the castle into the forest. (Codrescu, 1995: 25).
As night fell, they watched the peasants drag women out of the castle and rape them on the edge of the forest. Men were hacked to death with axes or had their skulls crushed with spiked clubs. (Codrescu, 1995: 25).
The experiences above happens when Countess Elizabeth Bathory was nine years old, in 1569. The experiences above are when she is escaping from
42 her castle. At the time chaos was occurs in Ecsed Castle, a band of peasant rebels came into Ecsed Castle, where Countess Elizabeth Bathory was spending the summer with her two older sisters, Anichka and Sandra. The rebel was set fire to the granary and killed the soldiers guarding the outer court where the stables and garrison were.
When the chaos of the rebel peasants occurs, Countess Elizabeth Bathory and her sisters was assisted and guarded by four of her maids. At the time when she were escaping from the castle, she was hastily bundled up in blankets and brought trough a secret passageway under the castle into the forest. While in the forest they found a hiding place, they were sheltering under a big rock. They all were shivered all night long.
As we can see from the stories’ fragments above, according to writer’s personal statement that at the time Countess Elizabeth Bathory was watched the cruelest act ever. They watched the rebel peasants hacked the head of men servants using axes, while the women dragged out of the castle and raped by the rebellion’s peasants. Elizabeth was in terrible atmosphere, both dark and scary place brought her to a frightful night. Horrified screaming and cries lies on her mind all night.
Trapped in a dark and scary forest with no guard to protect is worst. This was her first horrified experience. She directly saw the torturing and the raping of her servants until they death. The most terrible and most heartbreaking experience to her is when she saw her two older sisters hanging as corpses in a three. Her two older sisters was tortured by the peasants rebel, neither Shandra
43 nor Anichka were naked and got bruised in their body, swayed slightly in the breeze. Aside of her sister’s hanging tree, on the ground, sprawled grotesquely bodies oh her three nurses. She saw her nurses death, their throats were slashed.
This was Elizabeth’s first horrifying experience. This experience was bringing psychological effect to Elizabeth Bathory’s life. According to the writer, this moment was make Elizabeth Bathory became accustomed with such cruel, sadistic, or horrifying incident. This incident later makes her as a heartless torturer, the most sadistic woman in Budapest. At the end, this thing got her into an imprisonment.
Watching her swarm of black-clad women smashing glass with shovels under the still-falling snow, Elizabeth felt a cold flame rise within her. (Codrescu, 1995: 11).
Elizabeth was not going to allow them to watch her grow old. (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
She had tried to put a stop to the passage of time, but her mirrors and her skills had failed. (Codrescu, 1995: 12).
Above quotes, as the writer thinks that the “wild adventure” of Countess
Elizabeth Bathory was end. In this stage, Countess Elizabeth was fail to reach her desire to stay young and beautiful in different century because the nature’s law is running. As your age grow old, your physical will also ran down. She then ordered her maids to break all of her lovely expensive mirrors in her hilltop mansion. Countess Elizabeth was not going to allow her mirrors to watch her grow old. Her desire was defeated by time. Time itself was her enemy.
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D. The Immaterial Desires Portrayed by Elizabeth Bathory
In this subchapter, the writer will discuss about several desires of
Elizabeth Bathory. The following stories’ fragments of the novel are the writer
considered as immaterial desires of the main character. Countess Elizabeth
Bathory was leading by her desires to reach her pleasure. For furthermore
discussions, we can see as follows.
But Elizabeth Bathory was not without hope, Andrei de Kereshtur, the friend of her childhood, had become a magician. He had promised her shyly but firmly that he would use his magical arts to defeat the time on her behalf. (Codrescu, 1995: 12). Elizabeth believed him. Her time had been nothing but sorrow. She looked forward to being beautiful in a different century. (Codrescu, 1995: 12). She did not want to look into the mirror one day and find that she had become wrinkled and soulless. (Codrescu, 1995: 127). Elizabeth loved looking glasses. She had three of them. The day would come when she would be the mistress of her own fortune, and on that day she would cover all her walls with looking glass. (Codrescu, 1995: 128). As the time goes, as Countess Elizabeth grow, her desire also grow in
number. Being young and beautiful in a different century was the most desired
by Elizabeth. This was the material desire of her, she believed her young
notary, Andrei de Kereshtur could make her young and beautiful in a long time
by his alchemist knowledge. She believes Andrei because Andrei was the
friend of her childhood, Andrei also known as an alchemist. As an alchemist,
Andrei had not yet completely mastered the formula that he had promised to
Elizabeth, but he was nearing success.
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Andrei informed her that the blood of a young virgin just might have such effects. Countess Ellizabeth Bathory reasoned that if she bathed in the blood of young virgins, and in the case of especially pretty ones, drank their blood then she would become gloriously beautiful. Countess Elizabeth Bathory became obsessed with youth and beautifulness since that time. She collected looking glasses in her room, the looking glass was expensive in price. She loved to see herself in her looking glass, but she did not want to see herself grow old in her mirror.
The Countess bit the girl’s nipples, first one, then the other, drawing blood. She caressed the length of Ilona’s neck, then pressed softly, looking for the pure notes that had moved everyone to tears. Where were those notes? She squeezed harder, expecting those angelic sounds to rise unbidden from the depths of the girl’s soul. But nothing came out, not even a cry of fear. (Codrescu, 1995: 12). Her best maid, Darvulia, brought a pail of water from the house. The maids held Ilona upright while Elizabeth poured water over the pale form. The water iced quickly and the girl froze on the spot. (Codrescu, 1995: 17). Being the niece of the King of Poland and the aunt of the Prince of
Transylvania, Elizabeth had a strict, pious upbringing on one of her family’s many estates. The fabulously rich Elizabeth Bathory enjoyed huge power and influence in a society in which women had few rights, and this was her greatest enemy. She never had a chance to defend herself, despite her wealth, knowledge and power, and it was precisely because of her wealth, knowledge and power that it was so.
As the years wore on, Elizabeth Bathory had found a way to extend her life by using the blood of others to bath in as Andrei told her. Countess
46
Elizabeth Bathory continued to torture and kill. It mentioned that there are about 650 victims suffered at her hands. In fact Bathory’s alleged crimes were so cruel that as a result of the torture and murder sessions so much blood was spilled that it could be scooped up by the handful from the ground and her shirts got so soaked with it, she had to change.
She began to roam the countryside by night, hunting for suitable girls.
Each batch of young girls would be hung upside-down by chains, wrapped around their ankles. Their throats would be slit and their blood drained for a bath or shower. Occasionally, she would drink blood: at first from a golden flask, but later, directly from the dying body.
She was constantly improving her torturing methods by ordered to a servant to make a torturing chains, iron maiden, where placed in her room. Her brutality was increasing. The people living around her castle hated her so much that she only left the castle under an armed escort. She has also tortured some girls at her properties in Sarvar and Kereshtur. Her victims were initially local female peasants, but later she also killed daughters of lower gentry, who were sent to their castles by their parents to learn noble manners, even the noble woman.
As the writer think of above discussion, then concludes that it was the immaterial desires of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. The writer means that
Elizabeth Bathory was feeling quietly pleased as she tortured her victims.
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CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
This chapter is the particular segment which collect the whole data from each chapter to build the latest conclusion about the discussion. After analyzing the data, the writer displays the result of the research based on the process in previous chapter. This segment also presents numerous suggestions for the reader, so that the main point of this thesis could be considered as an attempt to recognize the object of this discussion.
A. Conclusion
After the discussion in previous chapter, the writer can take some words
as the results of the presentation, discussion, and analysis of the data in
previous chapter, the writer derives some conclusions in which they are:
1. According to the writer, there were several of psychological experiences that
occurs in the novel which faced by Elizabeth. The first one is when she was
9 years old, she watched her older sister die tragically, tortured and hanged
in a tree. The second one is when her husband die, Elizabeth Bathory was
deeply mourning about the death of her husband, she widowed. Her
mourning and her insincerity about the death of her husband were following
by heavy responsibility, which later have to bear by herself, that she must
continue to raise her children, must continue the course of the kingdom by
herself. As the writer thinks, those things are heavy-handed tasks which
could bring us to stress. Psychological experiences (in the past) of Elizabeth
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Bathory are totally influenced Elizabeth’s behavior later especially in doing
sadistic actions.
2. According to the writer, Elizabeth Bathory is desired with immaterial
desires. As we can see from the previous chapter, Elizabeth Bathory had
several cruel desires like torturing and killing the young girls, she feel
satisfied as she doing that. The thing that she desired the most as the writer
think is her abnormal desire, which she want to be beautiful and young in a
long time.
3. The last conclusion is the objective study of this thesis that includes critical
approach of psychological analysis. The writer believes that this thesis will
be useful to sharpen the reader’s understanding about psychological of a
literature and structural approaches of The Blood Countess, so they can
understand more about the story. Also The Blood Countess can be an
interesting object of analysis that contains with strong historical background
from Hungary and various aspects including cultural and social point of
view.
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B. Suggestion
From the data presentation and conclusions above, the writer suggest that
study of psychological of a literature and psychological approaches could be
the main topic for the research in the future. Remembered that there are many
of novels out there with its another unique which necessary and interest to be
discuss.
What makes this thesis lacked of fundamental units can be seen by the
objects. The main character, Elizabeth Bathory, is examined only by her
external factors affected with unusual behavior. The Intrinsic elements and full
analysis of sadism seen from her conflicts and psychological states have been
elaborated and explained accordingly. However, the missing part of this
analysis is the sacredness of her journey. The writer is aware that putting the
element of creation on how the Blood Countess can be related to any folklore
or myth in Hungary. This can be an interesting topic to explore and surely can
enlighten the extrinsic part where Elizabeth Bathory was indeed affected by
either cultural or religious references.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Catherine Collin, Nigel Benson, Joannah Ginsburg, Voula Grand, Merrin Layzan and Marcus Weeks. 2011. The Psychology Book. London : Dorling Kindersly
Codrescu, Andrei. 1995. The Blood Countess. London: Quarter Books.
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Forster, E. M. 1927. Aspect of The Novel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Gustav Jung, Carl. 1952.The Integration of The Personality. London: Rouledge & Kagan Paul Ltd.
Jeffrey D. Hoeper and James H. Pickering. 1986. Literature. New York: Macmillan Publisher.
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Nurlimang. 2014. Inner Conflict of The Main Character in Vladimir Nabokovâ’s Lolita. Makassar: Universitas Hasanuddin. Putrianingrum, Sanggar. 2015. Sadisme Dalam Kumpulan Cerpen Les Crimes De L’amor Karya Marqui De Sade. Yogyakarta. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Ratna, Nyoman Kuth. 2007. Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra 1.1 Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
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APPENDICES
A. Synopsys of The Blood Countess
Elizabeth Bathory, was born in 1560 to one of the most powerful
Protestant families in Hungary at the time. She was the daughter of Baron
George Bathory and Baroness Anna Bathory, who were both Bathory’s by
birth. Possibly stemming from inbreeding within her family, it is said that from
an early age Elizabeth suffered from seizures, loss of control, and fits of rage.
As a child, she witnessed the brutal punishments handed out by her family’s
officers on their estates; one anecdote describes a gypsy accused of theft who
was sewn up in the belly of a dying horse and left to die. Her family tree
certainly included some disturbed kin as well. One of her uncles taught her
Satanism, and she learned about sadomasochism from her aunt.
Elizabeth was married by the time she was 15 years old to Count Franz
Nadazdy, a soldier who would go on to lead the armies of Hungary against
Ottoman forces threatening Central Europe. After her marriage, the countess
became the mistress of the Nadazdy estate, where the couple earned a
reputation as harsh masters. Building upon her own cruelty, it is believed that
Ferenc showed her some of his own ways of punishing his servants. After 10
years, Elizabeth gave birth to three daughters and a son.
Although the count participated in his wife’s torture activities, it wasn’t
until the death of her husband in the early 1600s that Elizabeth’s true evil came
to fruition. She eventually moved to one of her castles at Cachtice in northwest
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Hungary (now Slovakia) and began surrounding herself with a cohort of servants to help her with her torture practices. Legend has it that one day an attendant girl was brushing Elizabeth’s hair when she accidentally pulled too hard and it tugged on a snag in her hair. The countess erupted in anger, jumping up and striking the girl with the back of her hand. The strike was so hard that it made the girl bleed and some of that blood was left on Elizabeth’s hand. Later that night, Elizabeth noticed that the skin on her hand where the blood had been looked more youthful than she had seen it in many years. This gave her the idea that if such a small amount of blood could make her hand look so young, then more could restore youthfulness to her whole body. It is said that this is when the madness began and Elizabeth started to bathe in the blood of virgin girls.
Young women began to disappear from villages near and far, as well as children. Unhappy girls were lured to the castle with the prospect that they would find work there but were never seen again. When they arrived, they were locked up in a cellar as they awaited torture. Elizabeth carried out much of the torture herself, often beating the girls to death. Sometimes she would sew a girl’s mouth shut, force her to eat her own flesh, or burn her genitals. When she was too sick to get out of bed to beat them, Elizabeth would order her servants to bring up a girl to her quarters where she would bite their faces and shoulders.
In other instances, she would stick needles underneath the girl’s fingertips before cutting off the fingers of those who tried to take them out. Soon
Elizabeth began to run out of young women, because she had either already taken them, or the villagers had started to hide their daughters out of fear that
54 she would take them. This is when the countess began to resort to noble girls, a decision that would ultimately lead to her demise.
After the murder of one noble girl in 1609, which Elizabeth tried to stage as a suicide, the authorities finally decided to act. During a night raid, officials searched the castle and discovered the dead bodies of young girls everywhere they looked. Some were missing arms and eyes. One body was in the fireplace, not yet fully burned. Elizabeth was taken to trial and many testified against her, including her servants as well as survivors. One of the servants said that girls were tied up and beaten to death until their whole body was black as charcoal and their skin battered and torn. One girl suffered from 200 blows before dying.
Another servant admitted that she had taken red-hot fire pokers and shoved them into the mouth of one girl. She said she placed her fingers in the mouth of another and pulled until the sides split open.
Finally, after hearing countless testimonies of the appalling activities that went on behind the castle’s walls, Elizabeth and her servants were convicted on 80 counts of murder, although evidence showed that as many as 650 females may have been killed in total. Her servants were sentenced to death, but
Elizabeth was imprisoned for life in a room in her own castle that was boarded up with tiny slits for food and air. Elizabeth lived for three and a half years before she was found dead lying face down on the floor. After her death,
Countess Elizabeth Bathory went down in history as one of the most evil women to ever have walked the planet.
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B. Biography of Andrei Codrescu
Andrei Codrescu born in Sibiu,
Transylvania, Romania, emigrated to the
U.S in 1966. His first poetry book,
License to Carry a Gun, won the 1970
Big Table Poetry award. He founded
Exquisite Corpse: a Journal of Books &
Ideas in 1983, taught literature and
poetry at Johns Hopkins University,
University of Baltimore, and Louisiana State University where he was Mac
Curdy Distinguished Professor of English. He was been a regular commentator
on NPR's All Things Considered since 1983, and received a Peabody Award
for writing and starring in the film Road Scholar. In 1989 he returned to his
native Romania to cover the fall of the Ceausescu regime for NPR and ABC
News, and wrote The Hole in the Flag: an Exile's Story of Return and
Revolution.
After his return, he reconnected with Romania and started to write again
in his native language, producing a separate body of work in poetry, essay, and
criticism. English remains his primary language, the site of his many books of
poetry, novels, essays; the most recent are The Art of Forgetting: New Poems
(Sheep Meadow Press, 2016), Bibliodeath: my Archives (with Life in
Footnotes) (Antibookclub, 2012) So Recently Rent a World : New and Selected
Poems (Coffee House, 2012), Whatever Gets You Through the Night: a Story
56 of Sheherezade and The Arabian Entertainments (Princeton University Press,
2011), The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess, (Princeton
University Press, 2009), and The Poetry Lesson (Princeton University Press,
2010). His work, correspondence, notebooks, art works, and sundry related documents are at the Hill Memorial Library at LSU in Baton Rouge, the Slavic
Library at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Iowa in Iowa City collection of Twentieth-Century Avantgarde Art.
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