Please Compare these following Folklore :

1. Lutung Kasarung and Beauty and the Beast.

2. Sangkuriang and Oedipus
Choose one. Try to find as many aspects that you can find. Good Luck

The folklore that I’m going to compare is “Lutung Kasarung and Beauty and the Beast”
This comparison aims to 1) Find the similarities and differences between these 2 folklores
and 2) To find out the moral value of these folklores.
Introduction
According to Wellek and Warren (111), the history of comparative literature study begins
from studies on oral literature, folklore, and its migration, that is, how and when it comes into
the more artistic literary writing. In this terminology, comparative literature is encompassing
the study of the relationship between two or more literature. Furthermore, Darma (2007) says
that comparative
Literature is drawn by the awareness that literature is not singular but pluralistic in nature.
According to Block (Saman 95), the study of effect is an important study within comparative
literature. Block says that the effect can be elaborated into several parts, such as (1) part of
the art or creative art, use of past as an inspiration, (2) the authors’ relationship and
relevancies factor, (3) an accidental element, (4) as the source of the creation process, and (5)
an aesthetic interaction that is not easily seen by the eyes.
Literary work is a series of words that have their own meaning in writing. Literature was
often changed according to the times in terms of writing procedures and literature is also
often used as a medium for conveying messages with language as the medium. The literary
work has its own definition taken from each different literature expert. According to Angraini
& Febrianto (2019), literary works are representations of life through a culture that are
expressed in the form of the author's creativity and imagination through his work. Literary is
also divided into literary writing and oral literature. Literary writing is a type of literature in
the form of readable writing such as novels, short stories, poetry, and drama. Meanwhile, oral
literature is in the form of word of mouth, the contents can be known through narrative. Oral
literature forms a more basic cultural component but has the characteristic of literature in
general. Folklore is a part of culture that is spread verbally. It comes from two words, namely
the words folk and lore. Folk means the people, nation, or group of people who have
physical, social, and cultural identifying characteristics. Then, Loremeans customs and
knowledge are inherited from generation to generation through speech. So, it can be
concluded that folklore is the custom or knowledge of a group of people who have the same
culture that has been passed down from generation to generation through speech. There are
several types of folklore, such as myths, legends, fairy tales, poetry or folksongs, and
ceremonies.
Method
The method to compare both of these stories are by reading it and drawing conclusion from
the story.

 Theme
Brooks, Purser, dan Warren (dalam Tarigan, 2008:125) menyebutkan bahwa tema adalah

pandangan hidup yang tertentu atau gagasan utama dari suatu karya sastra.

Brooks, Purser, and Warren (in Tarigan, 2008: 125) state that a theme is a particular view
of life or the main idea of a literary work.

Similarities
Both of these stories have the same theme and that is about the true love between a good girl
and an ugly man where they have their own circumstances.
Differences
The theme doesn’t have differences because both themes have the same idea.

 Plot
Brooks, Purser, dan Warren (dalam Tarigan, 2008:125) menyebutkan bahwa tema adalah
pandangan hidup yang tertentu atau gagasan utama dari suatu karya sastra.
Brooks and Warren (in Tarigan, 2008: 126) mentioned the plot structure of motion that is
contained in fiction or drama. Nurgiyantoro (2007:153-156) states that the plots are
divided into three types, including chronological plots (forward plots), flashback plots
(backward plots), and combined plots.

Similarities
Both of these stories have the same kind of plot and that is the chronological plot, where both
of the stories are about a good girl who got into a bad situation and is forced to live with a
beast, or in this case it was a man who was cursed due to some circumstances and was turned
into an animal (Lutung Kasarung) and a beast (Beauty and the Beast). And both of the girls
will somehow fall in love with them and they will live happily ever after.

Differences
The differences are in how the girls’ circumstances to be forced to live together with the beast
here. In Lutung Kasarung, the heroine was forced to live in the forest because of her jealous
sister that cursed her so that her body becomes ugly and full of black spots so that she can’t
marry into the royalty and become the Queen. And that is how she will live in the forest and
met her true love namely the Lutung Kasarung. Meanwhile, in Beauty and the Beast story,
Bella was forced into living with the beast because of her father’s mistake to pluck out the
rose in the beast’s garden. And to make sure her father is alive; she must be sent to the beast’s
place and live there. And in the end, she will find her true love too, that is the beast which is a
handsome prince that has been cursed.

 Background
Brooks (in Tarigan, 2008: 136) defines the background as the physical background,
elements of place, and space in a story. Meaning that it’s the same as the place in the
setting.

Similarities
Both of these stories have a background that ties to a kingdom or an empire. It can be seen in
the story. In Lutung Kasarung it was mentioned that Purbasari was going to marry and
become a Queen of a certain kingdom, meanwhile in Beauty and the Beast, The Beast is
actually a prince that was cursed.

 Characterization
Tarigan (2008, 147) states that characterization is the process used by an author to create
his fictional characters.
The characters in Beauty and the Beast:
 Main character: Bella, The Beast (Prince)
 Secondary character: Bella’s father and siblings.
The characters in Lutung Kasarung:
 Main character: Purbasari, Lutung Kasarung
 Secondary character: Purbararang and her fiancee, the witch, the man who was
told to send Purbasari to the forest

Similarities
Both the main character and main heroines met under certain circumstances. Both the man in
the story was cursed by magic so that they turn ugly, or in this case, they turned into an
animal and a beast. And the characters of both of these characters are good even though they
were cursed. Both the main character and main heroines are the protagonist.

Difference
The difference in the characterization lies in the difference in the antagonist. In the story
Lutung Kasarung, there is Purbararang and the witch who cursed Purbasari as the antagonist
and the one who cursed Lutung Kasarung as the secondary antagonist. Meanwhile, in Beauty
and the Beast, there is only the witch who is responsible for The Beast as the secondary
antagonist, as there is no main antagonist here.

 Nationality
The difference here is the nationality of the story writer. Beauty and The Beast is a folklore
from France meanwhile Lutung Kasarung is a folklore from Indonesia.

Conclusion
After comparing both of these stories, we can make a conclusion about the moral value
contained in both of the stories. The moral value from both of these stories is we should value
inward characteristics such as kindness over other superficial qualities, such as wit and
appearance. So, it means that we should appreciate what is on the inside such as their
characteristics instead of appreciating what is on the outside like their appearance whether
they are handsome or ugly. Because as we can see in the story even if they are cursed to be
ugly as an animal or beast, they still have their kindness inside.
Both of these stories have many similarities despite being a folklore from different nation.