Escapism and Social Reality in Urban Novels: Supernova (Dewi Lestari) vs Less (Andrew Sean Greer)
Abstract
This study discusses escapism and social reality in urban novels through a comparative literary study of Dewi Lestari's Supernova and Andrew Sean Greer's Less. Both novels represent modern urban life characterized by identity complexity, social pressure, and individuals' tendency to escape reality through the search for self-meaning. This study aims to uncover the main characters' forms of escapism in facing existential crises and how urban social reality shapes their inner conflicts. The study uses a descriptive qualitative method with a comparative literary approach and textual analysis. The theoretical framework used includes Jean-François Lyotard's postmodernist theory, escapism theory in popular culture studies, and Stuart Hall's representation theory to interpret the construction of urban identity. The research data consist of narrative excerpts and dialogues that represent the phenomena of escapism, alienation, and social criticism in both novels. The results show that Supernova represents escapism through the exploration of spirituality, science, and metaphysics as a form of resistance to the emptiness of modernity, while Less presents escapism through physical journeys and satirical humor as coping mechanisms for social failure and personal identity crises. Both novels depict urban social realities of alienation, social competition, and the pressures of a cultural achievement culture, but offer different forms of escapism based on their Indonesian and American cultural backgrounds. This research contributes to the development of modern comparative literary studies by emphasizing that escapism is not merely an escape, but rather a narrative strategy for critiquing urban social structures. Thus, this study strengthens the understanding that urban novels function as a space for ideological reflection on modern global life.
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