Cultural Constructions of Impossibility in The Perspective of Stylistic Pragmatics: The Case of Anak Bajang Mengayun Bulan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24235/ileal.v12i1.23888Keywords:
conceptual metaphor theory, cultural context, existential representation, inferential meaning, stylistic pragmaticsAbstract
The present study is concerned with pragmatic and stylistic functions of metaphor in Anak Bajang Mengayun Bulan (ABMB). The study focuses on three main research questions: the central metaphor as a pragmatic action, the stylistic choices and their function in guiding the inferential interpretation of impossibility, and the role of cultural, social, and societal contexts in the formation of metaphorical meaning and ideological implications. This study uses a hybrid framework of conceptual metaphor theory and stylistic pragmatics to analyze five major metaphors: (1) gadung tendrils as relational entanglement and asymmetry, (2) lidi jantan and rainbow imagery as protective authority, (3) paradoxical light-dark metaphors as existential hope, (4) immersion in darkness as psychological collapse, and (5) sinking into the ocean of night as existential disorientation. The findings reveal metaphor as a site of dynamic and situated meaning-making in which lexical, imagistic, and culturally-embedded elements interact with embodied cognition to construct relational, affective, and existential realities. The foregrounding of style and pragmatic inference enables readers to perceive impossibility, social hierarchy and ideological tension indirectly, and emphasizes the complex representation of human limitation and aspiration in the novel. This study emphasizes the importance of stylistic pragmatics for the interpretation of literary texts and provides implications for narrative analysis, literary pedagogy and cross-cultural translation. It also refers to metaphor as a carrier of cognitive, affective, and cultural meaning in contemporary Indonesian literature.
Konstruksi Budaya tentang Ketidakmungkinan dalam Perspektif Pragmatik Stilistik: Studi Kasus Anak Bajang Mengayun Bulan
Penelitian ini mengkaji fungsi pragmatik dan stilistika metafora dalam novel Anak Bajang Mengayun Bulan (ABMB) dengan memfokuskan pada tiga permasalahan utama, yaitu bagaimana metafora utama berfungsi sebagai tindakan pragmatik, bagaimana pilihan stilistika mengarahkan interpretasi inferensial terhadap kemustahilan, serta bagaimana konteks kultural, sosial, dan kemasyarakatan membentuk makna metaforis dan implikasi ideologisnya. Dengan menggunakan kerangka terpadu antara teori metafora konseptual dan pragmatik stilistika, penelitian ini menganalisis lima metafora kunci: (1) sulur gadung yang merepresentasikan keterjeratan relasional dan asimetri, (2) lidi jantan dan citraan pelangi yang menandakan otoritas protektif, (3) metafora paradoks terang–gelap yang menggambarkan harapan eksistensial, (4) keterbenaman dalam kegelapan yang mengisyaratkan keruntuhan psikologis, dan (5) tenggelam dalam samudra malam yang merepresentasikan disorientasi eksistensial. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa metafora berfungsi sebagai ruang dinamis bagi pembentukan makna yang kontekstual, di mana unsur leksikal, imajistik, dan kultural yang terbenam berinteraksi dengan kognisi terwujud (embodied cognition) untuk membangun realitas relasional, afektif, dan eksistensial. Penonjolan stilistika (stylistic foregrounding) serta inferensi pragmatik memungkinkan pembaca memahami kemustahilan, hierarki sosial, dan ketegangan ideologis secara tidak langsung, sekaligus menegaskan representasi halus novel ini terhadap keterbatasan dan aspirasi manusia. Penelitian ini menegaskan peran krusial pragmatik stilistika dalam interpretasi sastra, serta menawarkan kontribusi bagi analisis naratif, pedagogi sastra, dan penerjemahan lintas budaya, dengan menempatkan metafora sebagai instrumen pembentuk makna kognitif, afektif, dan kultural dalam sastra Indonesia kontemporer.
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Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study were obtained from a widely published novel by Sindhunata that is publicly available. The relevant textual data can be accessed through the published novel. Access to the complete text is subject to applicable copyright regulations.
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