History Literature / BuruQuartet

* RaceFetish: The books' male characters, or perhaps even their narrative as a whole, have a [[UnfortunateImplications rather unhealthy obsession with Indo-European women]], with several pages found voyeuristically describing them as involuntary MsFanservice.

* IllGirl: Both of [[spoiler: Minke's first two wives, Annelies and Ang San Mei, share this trait. None of them make it to the end of the quartet, either.]]

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* RaceFetish: The books' male characters, or perhaps even their narrative as a whole, have a [[UnfortunateImplications rather unhealthy obsession with Indo-European women]], with several pages found voyeuristically describing them as involuntary MissFanservice.

One of the most quintessential works of Indonesian postcolonial literature, the books have spawned numerous adaptations. The most notable of these are ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' (English: ''The Flower that Closes a Century''), a theatrical adaptation of select events from the first book and the [[DownerBeginning prologue]] of the second book which starred [[AllStarCast A-list Indonesian actors]] Reza Rahadian, Chelsea Islan, Happy Salma, Lukman Sardi, and ran from 2016 to 2018 in Jakarta and Bandung, as well as a 2019 3-hour [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] of the first book directed by Hanung Bramantyo.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: A number of important Indonesian historical figures are mentioned and featured, [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed using false names]]. Historical characters who are given nicknames here also double as a GeniusBonus if one is [[ViewersAreGeniuses observant enough]] to connect the parallels between their defining characteristics and achievements in RealLife and InUniverse:

** Minke himself was (mostly) based on a real person, [[spoiler:Tirto Adhi Soerjo, an Indonesian journalism pioneer.]]

* IllGirl: Both of Minke's first two wives, Annelies and Ang San Mei. [[spoiler: They both die.]]

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Several characters. Lampshaded as Minke notes that he deliberately changed the name of several real people in these works for privacy reasons.

** Minke also counts; his real name is notable for never being told explicitly except for its acronym. Subverted in the movie adaptation, as the cast and crew explicitly identifies him as Tirto Adhi Soerjo in BTS videos, his father calls him Tirto, and the full extent of the name is also clearly displayed in several scenes.

[[caption-width-right:350:Covers of the current Indonesian edition. [[labelnote:Left from right]] ''Bumi Manusia'' (This Earth of Mankind), ''Anak Semua Bangsa'' (Child of All Nations), ''Jejak Langkah'' (Footsteps), and ''Rumah Kaca'' (House of Glass) [[/labelnote]]]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Annelies is described as being usually competent and level-headed as an overseer of her father's business, but behaves like a child around people she is emotionally dependent on and family-related upsetting events could trigger her so badly she'd hyperventilate, cry or even faint at the drop of a hat. In ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' Chelsea Islan playing as her could be seen trembling, hyperventilating and then breaking down in hysterics after [[spoiler: arriving from a humiliating session at the White Court]].

* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler: Robert Mellema raped Annelies in a small forgotten patch of land somewhere within the Boerderij's vicinity a few years before Minke's arrival.]]
* DownerEnding: The [[spoiler: first book]]. They [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu broke their figurative collective arms]] trying to oppose [[spoiler: the unfair Dutch inheritance law, but Nyai Ontosoroh insisted that they had at least [[VictoriousLoser fought honorably]]]]. Her determination ultimately [[spoiler: carries over to the penultimate section of the second book and ended up motivating the other protagonists to give Maurits Mellema the verbal beatdown he deserves]].

* ButNotTooForeign: To name several, Annelies, Mevrouw Tèlinga, Kommer, May, [[HighClassCallGirl Rientje de Roo]], as well as the two Robert are of mixed European-indigenous parentage and/or ancestry. The cultural ambivalence and detachment these characters experience as a result of their upbringing is one of the first book's central points of discussion.

*** To fit its more idealistic portrayal of anti-colonialism, Minke's snobbish attitude and inferiority complex as an indigenous Javanese get quite the hefty toning down in the movie. For starters, he openly challenged Suurhof's mockery of indigenous politicians as lustful primitives and unabashedly spoke Javanese to Annelies during their first meeting, even though in the novel he mocks traditional indigenous beliefs right at the start of the book and finds the idea of speaking Javanese to a European woman revolting.
** AdaptationalVillainy: Robert Mellema, on top of being less socially awkward, is portrayed as being more openly antagonistic and racist towards his own mother and Minke in the movie, whereas in the novel he at least knew how to be outwardly polite to Minke when possible and is implied to be very intimidated by his mother's presence (largely thanks to Darsam) that his attempts to talk back to her often come across as meek and wimpy.
* AmbiguousDisorder: It's quite possible to interpret [[spoiler: Annelies]] as a sufferer of anxiety disorder. Though described as being usually competent and level-headed as an overseer of her father's business, family-related upsetting events could trigger her so badly she'd hyperventilate, cry or even faint at the drop of a hat. ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' may have went with this interpretation in a more realistic portrayal, since Chelsea Islan playing as her could be seen trembling, hyperventilating and then breaking down in hysterics after [[spoiler: arriving from a humiliating session at the White Court]].

* WhiteMansBurden: Herbert, Sarah and Miriam Delacroix, in contrast to Magda Peters' emphasis on indigenous agency and autonomy in her activism, believes in this and are quite eager to act as Minke's mentors.

* AwfulWeddedLife: Pangemanann's initially harmonious life with his French wife Paulette has deteroriated into this by the time the book begins, as increasingly difficult struggles with his moral conscience as an indigenous civil servant of the colonial government makes him grow more and more detached from his family.

[[caption-width-right:350:All four covers of the latest [[TheNewTens 2010s]] Indonesian edition. [[labelnote:Clockwise from top left]] ''Bumi Manusia'' (This Earth of Mankind), ''Anak Semua Bangsa'' (Child of All Nations), ''Rumah Kaca'' (House of Glass), and ''Jejak Langkah'' (Footsteps) [[/labelnote]]]]

One of the most quintessential works of Indonesian postcolonial literature, the books have spawned numerous adaptations. The most notable of these are ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' (English: ''The Flower that Closes a Century''), a theatrical adaptation of select events from the first book and the [[DownerBeginning prologue]] of the second book which starred [[AllStarCast A-list Indonesian actors]] Reza Rahadian, Chelsea Islan, Happy Salma and Lukman Sardi and ran from 2016 to 2018 in Jakarta and Bandung, as well as a 2019 3-hour [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]] of the first book directed by Hanung Bramantyo.

** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' due to its minimalistic ensemble cast, which trims out a vast chunk of the first book's [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters quite hefty array of characters]] as a result.
** The 2019 impressively managed to avoid this as much as its time constraint allows (at the cost of [[DemotedToExtra greatly reducing the screentimes]] of characters who have a more significant presence in the source material).

*** Robert Mellema, on top of being less socially awkward, is portrayed as being more openly antagonistic and racist towards his own mother and Minke in the movie, whereas in the novel he at least knew how to be outwardly polite to Minke when possible and is implied to be very intimidated by his mother's presence (largely thanks to Darsam) that his attempts to talk back to her often come across as meek and wimpy.

*** To fit its more idealistic portrayal of anti-colonialism, Minke's snobbish attitude and inferiority complex as an indigenous Javanese get quite the hefty toning down in the movie. For starters, he openly challenged Suurhof's mockery of indigenous politicians as lustful primitives and unabashedly spoke Javanese to Annelies during their first meeting, whereas in the novel he mocks traditional indigenous beliefs right at the start of the book and finds the idea of speaking Javanese to a European woman revolting.

* DisposableSexWorker: Several in the books. Pramoedya was an outspoken activist of sexual violence against women and their presence serves to demonstrate the horrible treatment sex workers suffered under colonial patriarchy, which many history books neglected to mention.

One of the most quintessential works of Indonesian postcolonial literature, the books have spawned numerous adaptations. The most notable of these are ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' (English: ''The Flower that Closes a Century''), a theatrical adaptation of select events from the first book and the [[DownerBeginning prologue]] of the second book which starred [[AllStarCast A-list Indonesian actors]] Reza Rahadian, Chelsea Islan, Happy Salma and Lukman Sardi and ran from 2016 to 2018 in Jakarta and Bandung, as well as a 2019 3-hour [[TheFilmOfTheBook epic movie adaptation]] of the first book directed by Hanung Bramantyo, (in)famous for starring Iqbaal Ramadhan, an up-and-coming teenage heartthrob known for playing the [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys titular delinquent]] in the hit [[TheNineties 1990s period movie series]] ''Dilan 1990'' and ''1992''.

* BoomerangBigot: Several characters, particularly those of indigenous descent whose racial as well as social positions granted them varying degrees of comfy privileges over other marginalized communities, have a bad habit of dehumanizing as well as looking down on their own. Not Minke himself is exempt from this; his classist and internally racist prejudices are shown to be at their particular worst in ''This Earth of Mankind'' as well as the first half of ''Child of All Nations''.
* ButNotTooForeign: The Indo-European characters, like Annelies, Mevrouw Tèlinga, Kommer, May, [[HighClassCallGirl Rientje de Roo]], as well as the two Roberts, who were born from the union between a European and a Native. Most of these characters have no qualms identifying as what they are with the exception of Annelies, who identifies as a native due to her love and respect for Nyai, as well as the two Roberts, who'd rather identify themselves as white because [[BoomerangBigot the thought of being descended from the natives]] predictably [[YouAreWhatYouHate disgusts them with all the irony that entails.]]
* CartwrightCurse: Despite constantly proclaiming himself [[CasanovaWannabe as something of a Casanova]] (or, as Pram put it, [[InsistentTerminology "philogynist"]]), in a darkly humorous twist, none of poor Minke's love interests [[spoiler: ever actually lasted long enough in his company, either separated by death, cruel circumstances, or ''both''.]]

** The 2019 impressively managed to avoid this as much as its own time constraint allows (at the cost of [[DemotedToExtra greatly reducing the screentimes]] of characters who have a more significant presence in the source material), though it still ended up adapting out Minem, the Boerderij's [[TheTease resident flirt]] [[spoiler: who in the second book gave birth to Robert Mellema's illegitimate son]]. Even so, this is also [[JustifiedTrope justifiable]] considering she's pretty much still an otherwise unremarkable ChekhovsGunman around this time.
** In a lesser case, the movie also adapted out Mr.[[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign Deradera Lellliobuttocxxx]], the AmoralAttorney Nyai Ontosoroh initially hired to assist in the Boerderij Buitenzorg inheritance dispute. However, we can safely say that he's certainly not a great loss considering his utter ineffectiveness as well as his...name.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Happens to a number of characters in the movie.
** The officer who escorted Minke to his father's residence is ruder and harsher compared to his counterpart in the book, who treats Minke with the (unnerving) courtesy and respect that fit his privileged position as a nobleman more.
** Maiko, who in the book is more of a neutral character, gets reinterpreted in the movie as a far more confident woman almost akin to a FemmeFatale, an image further exacerbated by the entirety of her DarkAndTroubledPast being AdaptedOut. In the book, she resignedly told the court that [[spoiler: afflicting Robert Mellema with the syphillis she has been carrying]] is a fatal circumstance Ah Tjong forced her into, while in the movie, she told the whole thing [[DissonantSerenity while smiling and giggling inappropriately]] as if the whole inquiry was a fun little gossip corner. She also [[spoiler: nonchalantly snitched Ah Tjong's murder of Herman Mellema afterwards (''way'' earlier than the novels' timeframe),]] making her to some degree [[SmugSnake shadier and slimier]] than the meek Maiko from the novel.
* AmbiguousDisorder: It's quite possible to interpret [[spoiler: Annelies]] as a sufferer of anxiety disorder. Though described as being usually competent and level-headed as an overseer of her father's business certain upsetting events could trigger her so badly she'd hyperventilate, cry or even faint at the drop of a hat. ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' may have went with this interpretation in a more realistic portrayal, since Chelsea Islan playing as her could be seen trembling, hyperventilating and then breaking down in hysterics after [[spoiler: arriving from a humiliating session at the White Court]].

* DisposableSexWorker: Ah Tjong views the prostitutes working under his brothel as this, regularly beating them up and discarding them once they're discovered harboring STD.

* ManChild: Both Annelies and Robert Mellema display variations of this trait in their own ways due to Nyai Ontosoroh's flawed, [[ParentsAsPeople trauma-induced]] parenting, at least according to Dr. Martinet. Annelies grew up to be an awkward, anxious little girl in young woman form due to a combination of Nyai Ontosoroh's smothering and over-projection of ambitions on her psyche while Robert grew up to be an awkward, emotionally stunted [[spoiler: [[BrotherSisterIncest sexual deviant]]]] due to Nyai Ontosoroh projecting her deep-seated hatred and disappointment of Herman Mellema onto him instead. Both of them exhibit [NoSocialSkills a clear lack of social skills] as well due to her abruptly cutting them off from virtually all forms of non-business interactions with society.

* SanitySlippage: Herman Mellema started out as a caring master and patient teacher to his [[ValuesDissonance teenage mistress]] Sanikem, gaining her respect over her own power-hungry parents, only to [[spoiler:descend into the slope soon after his legitimate Dutch son, a renowned engineer, [[CallingTheOldManOut confronts him]] for running off and starting a new life with a native woman. By the time the actual plot begins, he has grown [[AngryWhiteMan rather]] [[AlcoholicParent distant]].]]

* TakingYouWithMe: Surati [[spoiler: did this to Plikemboh by infecting herself with chickenpox and then giving herself up to him. It worked, but ironically she survived, albeit with scars from the illness]]. Fortunately, [[spoiler: she gets better and even manages to secure a comfortable living for herself by the end of the quartet]], much to Minke's astonishment.

* DisposableSexWorker: [[spoiler: Rientje de Roo, Pangemanann's favorite Indo-European HighClassCallGirl, dies not long into their period of uncomfortable relationship]]. Her death, is, unfortunately, TruthInTelevision, as her character was based on a half-Dutch prostitute who got murdered in the mid-1910s.

* AnyoneCanDie: Expect [[DroppedABridgeOnHim sudden passages]] about the deaths of characters you've gotten comfortable with popping out here and there.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Reading the subtexts on her actions throughout the novel, it's quite possible to interpret [[spoiler: Annelies]] as a sufferer of anxiety disorder. There is a significant chance ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' went through with this interpretation as [[spoiler: Chelsea Islan could be seen trembling, hyperventilating and then breaking down in hysterics]] when Nyai Ontosoroh told Minke about [[spoiler: the indignant treatment they received at the White Court]].
* AsianBabymama: To some extent. Throughout ''This Earth of Mankind'', Minke's neighbor, French ex-soldier Jean Marais works on a painting of a Dutch colonial soldier standing over a helpless Acehnese moment with bayonet fixed. [[spoiler:The painting, in fact, is of himself and the mother of his Indo daughter May, who supposedly asked him to kill her to [[DefiledForever preserve her purity]] and was later killed by her own brother for their affair.]]
* BeigeProse: The series actually has a significant amount of sex scenes scattered throughout each book, but they're rather easy to miss due to the rather forgettable diction used to describe them. They really pale in comparison to the rest of the narrations' [[PurpleProse rich]] vocabulary.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: See Jean's quote above? Remember that ''very well''. Most of the quartet's characters, including ''Minke himself'' as well as other characters who are supposed to be conventionally more heroic, are actually flawed people with their own prejudices and misleading beliefs, often ones no less different than what the more antagonistic characters are spouting.
* BoomerangBigot: Several characters, particularly those of indigenous descent whose racial as well as social positions granted them varying degrees of comfy privileges over other marginalized communities, have a bad habit of dehumanizing as well as severely looking down on their own. No, not even ''Minke himself'' is exempt from this trope; his classist and internally racist prejudices are shown to be at their particular worst in''This Earth of Mankind'' as well as the first half of ''Child of All Nations''.
** [[TheWhitestBlackGuy Pangemanann]] is clearly demonstrated to be a worse victim of this, as the Minahasan ethnic group at the time were viewed almost as equals to the Europeans and as such he ended up validating most of the European characters' downright racist, patronizing remarks about his fellow indigenous people. Unlike Minke, Pangemanann doesn't have any proto-nationalistic friends that can help him unlearn that internalized racism.
* BringMeMyBrownPants: Happens unconsciously to poor, poor [[spoiler: Annelies on her voyage to the Netherlands]], which Panji Darman a.k.a. Jan Dapperste patiently cleaned up.
* BrokenPedestal: Nyai Ontosoroh lost all respect for Herman Mellema after his biological son confronted him and his subsequent falling apart.
* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler: Between Annelies and Robert Mellema.]] Well, [[RapeAsDrama not voluntarily]], but still.
* BusCrash: [[spoiler: After being taken away, Annelies lost her will to live and died in the Netherlands shortly after arriving.]]
* ButNotTooForeign: The Indo-European characters, like Annelies, Mevrouw Tèlinga, Kommer, May, [[HighClassCallGirl Rientje de Roo]], as well as the two Roberts, who were born from the union between a European and a Native. Most of these characters have no qualms identifying as what they are with the exception of Annelies, who identifies as a native due to her love and respect for Nyai, as well as the two Roberts, who'd rather identify themselves as white because [[BoomerangBigot the thought of being descended from the natives]] predictably [[YouAreWhatYouHate disgusts them with all the irony that entails.]]
* CartwrightCurse: Despite constantly proclaiming himself [[CasanovaWannabe as something of a Casanova]] (or, as Pram put it, [[InsistentTerminology "philogynist"]]), in a darkly humorous twist, none of poor Minke's love interests [[spoiler: ever actually lasted long enough in his company, either separated by death, cruel circumstances, or ''both''.]]
* CategoryTraitor:
** Minke's family, especially [[MommasBoy his mother]], repeatedly chastise him for being indifferent toward Javanese traditions and insisting on writing in Dutch instead of Javanese.
** His Dutch Literature teacher Magda Peters, meanwhile, is mocked for her liberal beliefs regarding the natives of Dutch East Indies and eventually [[spoiler:pressured by the colonial government to leave.]]
** Khouw Ah Soe, the Chinese nationalist, who rejected his old customs and tried to wake his people from their backwardness. [[spoiler:He was killed by the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Tongs]] for his radical ideas.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: When Jean Marais suggested Minke to start writing in Malay, the ''lingua franca'' of the majority of the population, he flatly refused and even felt offended, preferring to write in Dutch. A few years later [[spoiler:he started publishing a Malay-language newspaper, the ''Medan Prijaji''.]]
* CharacterFilibuster: When Minke met Ter Haar for the first time on the ship to Betawi, the latter launched a 40-page rant about colonial politics, and many other things. [[spoiler:Minke was later apprehended at Semarang and shipped back to Wonokromo because of another trial.]]
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: At the climax of the second book, [[spoiler:Maurits Mellema, the decorated Boer war hero, came to kick our heroes out of Wonokromo. But they gave such a verbal beating on him for leaving his half-sister to die that all he can do is sulk away in shame]].[[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu He still kicked them out in the end,]] but they made sure they didn't go quietly.
* TheDiseaseThatShallNotBeNamed: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] Pramoedya is quite honest and raw in describing the horrible illnesses his characters suffer.
* DisposableSexWorker: Ah Tjong views his [[SexSlave girls]] as this. This later happens to [[spoiler: Rientje de Roo, Pangemanann's favorite Indo-European HighClassCallGirl]]. [[spoiler: Her death, is, unfortunately, TruthInTelevision, as she is based on an Indo escort who got murdered in the mid-1910s.]]
* {{Doorstopper}}
* DownerEnding: The [[spoiler: first book]]. They [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu broke their figurative collective arms]] trying to oppose [[spoiler: the unfair Dutch inheritance law, but Nyai Ontosoroh insisted that they had at least [[VictoriousLoser fought honorably]]]]. Her determination ultimately [[spoiler: carries over to the ultimate section of the second book and ended up motivating the other protagonists to give Maurits Mellema the verbal beatdown he deserves,]] as detailed above.

* Fiction500: The first book firmly establishes Herman Mellema as one of the Indies' richest businessmen, with the size of his already-enormous estate extending to ''several acres of forest'' as well as an ''entire lake''. Sastro Kassier noted in the second book that Mellema's wealth made his sister [[TheMistress Sanikem]] "richer than the Princess of Solo", which is an entire ''sultanate'' by itself. All of these are why Maurits Mellema and his mother are so intent on chasing after Herman all the way from the Netherlands as well as why the news of Herman's [[spoiler: scandalous death]] caused such a huge uproar in Surabaya.
* ForeignCultureFetish: At the start of the story Minke is completely enamored by European culture and progress, to the point of rejecting his own culture and language. His experiences in the first two books made him realize the reality of European colonial rule and the suffering it caused to the native population, tampering his enthusiasm considerably.
* TheGayNineties[=/=]TheEdwardianEra: But in colonial Indonesia. There, it is far more familiarly known as a nationalistic revolutionary era known as "The National Awakening Period" (Indonesian: ''Masa Kebangkitan Nasional''), in which the concept of liberal intellectualism and Western equality began to spread among (mostly privileged) students of [[WhiteMansBurden Dutch-managed]] schools.

* HeelRealization: Jean Marais, at Aceh.
* HerHeartWillGoOn: After Minke gave her [[spoiler: Khouw Ah Soe's final letter]], [[spoiler: Ang San Mei]] quickly grew fond of him and moves on.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: A number of important Indonesian historical figures are mentioned and featured, [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed using false names]]. Historical characters who are given nicknames here also double as a GeniusBonus if one is [[ViewersAreGeniuses observant enough]] to connect the parallels between their defining characteristics and achievements in RealLife and InUniverse:
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Douwes_Dekker Ernest Douwes Dekker]], first mentioned as the boyfriend of Miriam de la Croix. Later shows up as [[spoiler:Douwager]].
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartini Kartini]], only known in story as [[spoiler:"the girl from Jepara"]].
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_Hajar_Dewantara Ki Hajar Dewantara]] is [[spoiler:Wardi]].
** Minke himself was (mostly) based on a real person, [[spoiler:Tirto Adhi Soerjo, an Indonesian journalism pioneer.]]
** Pangemanann, the protagonist of ''House of Glass'', is partly based on the now-obscure Minahasan journalist and prolific author F.D.J. Pangemanann. It can't be said, however, that the real Pangemanann is actually the {{Jerkass}} [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade he was in the novel]], as sources regarding his life are quite scarce to find nowadays. [[spoiler: He also died 8 years earlier than Pram's VillainProtagonist.]]
* HollywoodCostuming: The costume designs of the 2019 movie have often been torn apart by critics for having virtually no trace of defining aspects that period fashion enthusiasts can identify with TheGayNineties. This leads to CreatorBacklash on part of both the director and the chief costume designer.
* IllGirl: Both of Minke's first two wives, Annelies and [[spoiler: Ang San Mei]]. [[spoiler: [[ForegoneConclusion One can just take a quick guess at how they end up in a book series this dark and depressing.]]]]
* IronLady: Many, including the one and only Nyai Ontosoroh.
** Minke's mother (of the Javanese GrandeDame variety).
** Surati, Nyai Ontosoroh's niece, who is [[spoiler: so intent on fighting against her impending fate as a SexSlave]] that she [[spoiler: ''killed'' the {{Jerkass}} Dutch new owner of the factory]] by [[spoiler: ''[[TakingYouWithMe making herself a bearer of smallpox]]'' so he can catch it while having sex with her.]]
** Prinses van Kasiruta, Minke's last wife, who [[spoiler: fatally wounded all members of the hate group who's been giving her husband as well as ''Medan Prijaji'' a lot of flak for its rapid growth.]] She can also be considered a SilkHidingSteel because it took some time for Minke to realize that his [[CuteBruiser small, diligent wife]] [[spoiler: won't hesitate to put other people's lives on mortal peril for his very sake.]]

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
* TheLoinsSleepTonight: ''Footsteps'' had the entire subplot of Hendrik Frischboten and his wife [[spoiler: Miriam]] growing distant in their marriage due to this, and it's up to Minke to offer them a hand [[spoiler: and then, his body, to Mir, literally]]. Later, however, it's revealed that [[spoiler: ''Minke'' is actually the one afflicted with an incurable sterility, while Hendrik is gradually cured]], which [[spoiler: caused him to go into a brief HeroicBSOD. He eventually got over this by reassuring himself that he still had the ''Medan'' company as his spiritual child.]]
* ManChild: Annelies acts like this in front of her mother and Minke.
* TheMistress: During colonial times, "Nyai" is a title for an Indonesian mistress of a European man. The common perception during the time is that a Nyai is [[TheVamp promiscuous and uneducated]], but Nyai Ontosoroh is a subversion of this trope, to Minke's astonishment.
* MostWritersAreWriters: Pramoedya Ananta Toer's own sentiments regarding the state of literary appreciation in Indonesia is blatantly obvious throughout, as evidenced by Minke's inexplicable intention to work as a writer instead of a government official.
* OneSteveLimit: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by Robert Mellema, Robert Suurhof, and Robert [[spoiler: Jan Dapperste]].
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Nyai Ontosoroh, AKA Nyai Buitenzorg, after Buitenzorg Boerderij, Herman Mellema's company. Her real name is later revealed to be Sanikem. Minke also counts; his real name is notable for never being told explicitly except for its acronym.
** ''House of Glass'' has Pangemanann reveal [[spoiler: that several of the previous books' characters, such as Jean Marais, aren't actually written with their real names, probably because Minke just wants to protect their privacy.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:Jan Tantang, the fat officer who has been stalking Minke in the first two books]]. The whole mess with Ah Tjong and the trial wouldn't have happened if he hadn't stalked Minke around and instead just went up and introduced himself.
* PurpleProse: The books' original Indonesian diction crossed over this territory many times, likely because Pramoedya was trying to evoke the setting's AntiquatedLinguistics. This aspect is [[LostInTranslation perceivably lost in the English edition of the series]], but it makes them arguably easier to digest for English-speaking beginners.
* RaceFetish: The books' male characters, or perhaps even their narrative as a whole, have a [[UnfortunateImplications rather unhealthy obsession with Indo-European women]], with several pages found voyeuristically describing them as involuntary MissFanservice.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler: Robert Mellema]] as he's dying from syphillis in ''Child of All Nations''. Also [[spoiler: Pangemanann]] as his age as well as years' worth of pent-up [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone remorse towards fellow natives]] catch up to him at the end of ''House of Glass''.
* RomanAClef
* SanitySlippage: Herman Mellema started out as a caring master and patient teacher to his [[ValuesDissonance teenage mistress]] Sanikem, gaining her respect over her own power-hungry parents, only to [[spoiler:descend into the slope soon after his legitimate Dutch son, a renowned engineer, [[CallingTheOldManOut confronts him]] for running off and starting a new life with a native woman. By the events of ''This Earth of Mankind'', he has grown [[AngryWhiteMan rather]] [[AlcoholicParent distant]].]]
** [[spoiler:Pangemanann]] was once an upstanding police officer, but after stamping out remnants of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_Pitung Si Pitung]]'s band of outlaws and realizing what the colonial government had done to the villagers, hallucinations of Pitung began to show up as his guilty conscience. He drives these visions away with his trademark sigh: [[spoiler:''Zihhh!'']]
* ShellShockedVeteran: Minke's Indo landlord Tèlinga and Jean Marais fought together for the colonial government in Aceh prior to the events of the story. It was a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aceh_War very bloody]] conflict, and neither liked to talk about it.
* ShownTheirWork: The entire tetralogy is a product of years, or perhaps even decades' worth of dedicated research on modern Dutch East Indies history and ''boy'' does it show. Many historical references alluded throughout the book are notoriously hard to find in your average go-to resources, even by today's standards. It helps that Pramoedya was a historian himself. Also to his credit he managed to ''recall the entire thing he'd learned'' [[{{Determinator}} in captivity, with only an abysmally scarce amount of resource at his disposal.]]
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:Surati did this to Plikemboh by infecting herself with chickenpox and then giving herself up to him. It worked, but ironically she survived, albeit with scars from the illness.]] Fortunately, she gets better and even manages to secure a comfortable living for herself by the end of the quartet to Minke's astonishment.
* TragicKeepsake: The old, beat-up suitcase, accompanying three different characters on a journey they might not return from.
** Nyai Ontosoroh when [[spoiler:she was sold to Herman Mellema.]]
** Ann when [[spoiler:she was taken against her will to the Netherlands.]]
** Minke when [[spoiler:he was exiled to Ambon.]]
* TranslationConvention: Even though various languages are spoken in the novel, everything is translated for the benefit of the reader. The weird thing is, the Indonesian language didn't even ''exist'' at this point in time.
* VillainEpisode: The entire fourth book is told from the perspective of [[spoiler:Pangemanann]], the police officer and later government adviser responsible of exiling Minke and other key figures of the native anti-colonial movement.
* WhiteMansBurden: Sarah and Miriam de la Croix grew up with this belief and are quite eager to act as Minke's mentors.
* YellowPeril: Babah Ah Tjong, the owner of the pleasure house next to the Wonokromo mansion. Khouw Ah Soe might be viewed as this in-universe, but he's actually a sympathetic character from our point of view.

* OneSteveLimit: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by the presence of Robert Mellema, Robert Suurhof, and Robert [[spoiler: Jan Dapperste]].

-->--'''Jean Marais''', ch. 3 p. 56, quite adequately setting up [[BlackAndGrayMorality how we should intellectually perceive the novel's complex discourses]]

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler: Robert Mellema, of syphillis, in ''Child of All Nations'']] and [[spoiler: Pangemanann at the end of ''House of Glass'']].

* ShownTheirWork: The entire tetralogy is a product of years, or perhaps even decades-worth dedicated research on modern Dutch East Indies history and ''boy'' does it show. Many historical references alluded throughout the book are notoriously hard to find in your average go-to resources, even by today's standards. It helps that Pramoedya was a historian himself. Oh, and it certainly ''helps'' too that Pramoedya managed to ''recall the whole thing'' [[{{Determinator}} in captivity, with only an abysmally scarce amount of resource at his disposal.]]
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler:Surati did this to Plikemboh, by infecting herself with chickenpox and then giving herself up to him. It worked, but ironically she survived, albeit with scars from the illness.]]

** Nyai when [[spoiler:she was sold to Herman Mellema.]]

* VillainEpisode: The fourth book is told from the perspective of [[spoiler:Pangemanann, the police officer later government adviser responsible of exiling Minke and later other key national figures.]]

* TheLoinsSleepTonight: ''Footsteps'' had the entire subplot of Hendrik Frischboten and his wife [[spoiler: Miriam]] growing distant in their marriage due to this, and it's up to Minke to offer them a hand [[spoiler: and then, his body, to Mir, [[YourCheatingHeart literally]]]]. Later, however, it's revealed that [[spoiler: ''Minke'' is actually the one afflicted with an incurable sterility, while Hendrik is gradually cured]], which [[spoiler: caused him to go into a brief HeroicBSOD. He eventually got over this by reassuring himself that he still had the ''Medan'' company as his spiritual child.]]

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: Minke was apparently compelled to document the story during [[spoiler:his wedding with Annelies]], which is [[MostWritersAreWriters quite understandable]].
** [[spoiler: Nyai Ontosoroh most likely became this by the end of the series, as Pangemanann handed over the manuscript of all four of the books to her as his [[RedemptionEqualsDeath final act of redemption]] and respect to the figure he admired so much.]]

* YellowPeril: Babah Ah Tjong, the owner of the pleasure house next to the Wonokromo mansion. Khouw Ah Soe might be viewed as this in-universe, but he's actually a sympathetic character from our point of view.

The '''''Buru Quartet''''' (Indonesian: ''Tetralogi Buru'', literally: the ''Buru Tetralogy'') are a four-part HistoricalFiction epic by Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Originally [[CouldntFindAPen dictated to his fellow prisoners]] during his term in the political prison island of Buru, Toer labored to ensure its survival and eventually managed to have the publishing house Bintang Timur put forth the first book, ''This Earth of Mankind'' (Indonesian: ''Bumi Manusia'') in 1980, only to have the ruling New Order [[CulturePolice ban it from circulation]] shortly afterwards for "[[RedScare Marxist-Leninist subversion]]". Subsequent books, ''Child of all Nations'' (Indonesian: ''Anak Semua Bangsa'', 1981), ''Footsteps'' (Indonesian: ''Jejak Langkah'', 1985) and ''House of Glass'' (Indonesian: ''Rumah Kaca'', 1988) similarly met swift banning, threatening to prematurely rid the Indonesian language of what would become perhaps one of its most well-known works. Fortunately however, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff foreign publishers]] were quick to take notice Australian Embassy staff Max Lane worked on an English translation, and soon enough, the series gained more relative fame in a myriad of foreign lands than most of its local counterparts could have imagined. Long story short, awards poured in through Toer's metaphorical doorstep, regional PEN societies took the writer as their own, and somewhat recently, the series finally began to regain its place in the Indonesian public consciousness.

-->''"An educated person must learn to act justly, beginning, first of all, with his thoughts, then later in his deeds. That is what it means to be educated."''

* WeddingDay: Minke and Annelies' wedding, also counts as a BreatherEpisode.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Reading the subtexts on her actions throughout the novel, it's possible to interpret [[spoiler: Annelies]] as suffering from some kind of an anxiety disorder. There is a significant chance ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' went through with this interpretation as [[spoiler: Chelsea Islan could be seen trembling, hyperventilating and then breaking down in hysterics]] when Nyai Ontosoroh told Minke about [[spoiler: the indignant treatment they received at the White Court]].

* ButNotTooForeign: The Indo-European characters, like Annelies, Mevrouw Tèlinga, Kommer, May, [[HighClassCallGirl Rientje de Roo]], as well as the two Roberts, who were born from the union between a European and a Native. Those latter two, however, would ''very much'' like you to consider them fully foreign, however, because [[BoomerangBigot the thought of being descended from the natives]] [[YouAreWhatYouHate disgusts them with all the irony that entails.]]
* CartwrightCurse: Despite boasting himself as TheCasanova throughout the series, in a darkly humorous twist, none of [[spoiler: Minke's]] love interests [[spoiler: lasted long being together with him.]]

The story itself begins in colonial East Java, as [[Main/TheGildedAge the nineteenth century draws to an end]]. Minke, the main character, is a teenage son of a wealthy Javanese aristocracy and a successful HBS student, a rare feat among natives. Minke grows up in awe of [[WhiteMansBurden European might]], fostering [[ForeignCultureFetish an appreciation]] for [[{{Bookworm}} Dutch literature]] and spending his spare time [[MostWritersAreWriters writing for a Dutch-language newspaper]] under the pseudonym "Max Tollenaar". All seems well enough until he runs into Nyai Ontosoroh, the [[InNameOnly nominal]] concubine of wealthy Dutch businessman [[TheAlcoholic Herman Mellema]] who in reality runs his entire company together with their beautiful [[RaceFetish Indo]] daughter Annelies while her elder son [[LoserSonOfLoserDad Robert]] looks upon his presence with great suspicion. Soon enough, Minke's previously innocuous life ends up in a tangled web of romance, rejection and race politics, setting him on a journey of self-discovery between differing cultural realms.

One of the most quintessential works of Indonesian postcolonial literature, the books have spawned numerous adaptations. The most notable of these are ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' (English: ''The Flower that Closes a Century''), a theatrical adaptation of select events from the first book and the [[DownerBeginning prologue]] of the second book which starred [[AllStarCast A-list Indonesian actors]] Reza Rahadian, Chelsea Islan, Happy Salma and Lukman Sardi and ran from 2016 to 2018 in Jakarta and Bandung, as well as a 2019 3-hour [[TheFilmOfTheBook epic movie]] directed by Hanung Bramantyo, (in)famous for starring Iqbaal Ramadhan, an up-and-coming teenage heartthrob known for playing the [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys titular delinquent]] in the hit [[TheNineties 1990s period movie series]] ''Dilan 1990'' and ''1992''.

-->--'''Jean Marais''', ch. 3 p. 56, quite adequately [[BlackAndGrayMorality setting up the complex moral discourses of the novels]]

One of the most quintessential works of Indonesian postcolonial literature, the books have spawned numerous adaptations. The most notable of these are ''Bunga Penutup Abad'' (English: ''The Flower that Closes a Century''), a theatrical adaptation of select events from the first book and the [[DownerBeginning prologue]] of the second book, which starred [[AllStarCast A-list Indonesian actors]] Reza Rahadian, Chelsea Islan, Happy Salma and Lukman Sardi and ran from 2016 to 2018 in Jakarta and Bandung, as well as a 2019 3-hour [[TheFilmOfTheBook epic movie]] directed by Hanung Bramantyo, in)famous for starring Iqbaal Ramadhan, an up-and-coming teenage heartthrob known for playing the [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys titular delinquent]] in the hit [[TheNineties 1990s period movie series]] ''Dilan 1990'' and ''1992''.

* RaceFetish: The books' male characters, or perhaps even its narrative as a whole, have a [[UnfortunateImplications rather unhealthy obsession with Indo-European women]], with several pages found voyeuristically describing them as involuntary MissFanservice.