Peran Lebih TV Newscaster Dalam The Sky is Falling Karya Sidney Sheldon

Abstract

Sidney Sheldon‟s novel entitled The Sky is Falling of which is filled with more dialogues rather than narration is a popular fiction. Popular work of art is a response on social demand that need literary works people can understand easily. The novel employs star system of whom a TV Newscaster named Dana Evans, aged 27, plays important roles throughout this best-seller novel. Dana plays not only as a TV Newscaster who reads news but also as a reporter from war field and last but not least as a professional detective; a profession that is usually not awarded to a beautiful TV Newscaster or newsreader. The author of the novel actually wants to offer a new idea to the public that a TV Newscaster can‟t be underestimated. She is possibly a moving, a multi-talented person. The offer can be accepted by the public or not is fully dependent on the public. The core of the novel is not laid on the additional role that Dana has but on the idea that the author of the novel has launched. It is true that Dana is „super‟ woman; she is a TV newscaster and also a woman who directly reports news from Sarajevo when bullets and bombs from guns are fired. From there she also adopts an orphan, boy of 12 who lost his right hand in the war.  Besides that she also feels has duty to investigate the serial murders of a philanthropic the Winthrop in USA. She interviews many people to uncover the case. Although her life is in danger while conducting the duty, she is insistent to discover the master mind behind the 5 deaths in a year. She can eventually finds out the murderer. Actually the author of the novel not only wants to share his idea but he also wants to win the discourse that a TV newscaster is not just of common people, she is more than that. If his (the author‟s) idea is accepted it means he has won the „war‟. It means that he has won the power struggle. Next, he will try to offer another „war‟ in the form of his genius creativity to the public. Key words : TV Newscaster, war reporter, detective, popular fiction, power struggle