 A. Teeuw, a Dutch critic of Indonesian literature and lecturer at the University of Indonesia, notes that the use of "pantuns" (a Malay poetic form) shows that Rusli was heavily influenced by Minangkabau oral literary tradition, while the extended dialogues show influence from the tradition of "musyawarah" (in-depth discussions by a community to reach an agreement).Indonesian critic Zuber Usman credits another, more personal, experience as influencing Rusli in writing "Sitti Nurbaya" and his positive view of European culture and modernity.After expressing interest in choosing a Sundanese woman to become his wife, which "caused an uproar among his family", Rusli was told by his parents to return to his hometown and marry a Minangkabau woman chosen by them; this caused conflict between Rusli and his family.