AUTHOR’S ETHICS IN THE WRITING OF TRADITIONAL MALAY LITERATURE

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Norazimah Zakaria, Mazarul Hasan Mohamad Hanapi, Lajiman Janoory, Mohd Amir Mohd Zahari and Abdul Halim Ali

Abstract

The objective of the study is to elucidate the author’s writing ethics in the narration of traditional Malay literature. The study explored the ethics of the author by analyzing the Malay traditional texts of the Raja Pasai Saga (Hikayat Raja Pasai) that deals with the controversial issue of incest in the text. Qualitative research approach is designed to illuminate the author’s writing ethics in discussing issues inherent in the traditional literature through descriptive texts analysis. Data was also analysed through library research by using two main resources, namely literature texts and selected articles. The Malay authorship approach was used to analyse the research data. The descriptive analysis finding found that the scribe was able to maintain his ethical principles in narrating issues which run contra to religious and cultural values.  The author, in the traditional Malay authorship weltanschauung, was able to control his narrative system in adhering to the convention of the era. However, every issue that occurred during the traditional era had implications similar to that of the present era. Consequently, as narrated in the text, moral transgressions and conflicts cause the destruction of government institutions and the family social system especially if they are committed by the ruling class. As implication, the findings of this study could provide greater insight into the understanding of the incestuous narratives composed in traditional texts, which could guide other researchers, scholars, and students to embark on similar research.

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