INDONESIAN LITERATURE’S DEPICTIONS OF PANDEMICS: FROM THE CLASSIC TO THE CONTEMPORARY (Gambaran Pandemi dalam Sastra Indonesia: Klasik dan Kontemporer)

Abstract

Dunia saat ini sedang menghadapi epidemi besar-besaran. Wabah ini dikenal dengan COVID-19. COVID-19 telah berdampak signifikan pada semua aspek kehidupan masyarakat, termasuk pendidikan, kesehatan, dan ekonomi. COVID-19, tidak seperti pandemi lainnya, disebabkan oleh virus SARS-Cov-2, yang membatasi semua aktivitas masyarakat. Segalanya dilakukan dari rumah. Makalah ini berfokus pada isu pandemik yang dinarasikan dalam karya sastra mulai dari masa lampau hingga masa kini (kontemporer). Oleh karena itu, permasalahan dalam makalah ini dirumuskan ke dalam bentuk pertanyaan: “Bagaimana pandemi digambarkan dalam sastra Indonesia klasik dan sastra Indonesia kontemporer? Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kritik sastra M.H. Abrams “The Mirror and the Lamps”. Kritik sastra Abrams mengejawantahkan tiga fungsi karya sastra: sastra sebagai cermin, sastra sebagai lampu, dan sastra sebagai medium. Hasil temuan menunjukkan bahwa pandemi telah menjadi subjek karya sastra Indonesia, baik zaman klasik maupun zaman kontemporer.

The world is currently facing a massive epidemic. This outbreak is known as COVID-19. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on all aspects of people’s lives, including education, health and the economy. COVID-19, unlike other pandemics, is caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, which limits all community activities. Everything is done from home. This paper focuses on pandemic issues that are narrated in literary works from the past to the present. Therefore, the problem in this paper is formulated in the form of a question: “How is the pandemic described in classical Indonesian literature and contemporary Indonesian literature? This study uses the literary criticism approach of M.H. Abrams “The Mirror and the Lamps”. Abrams’ literary criticism manifests three functions of literature: literature as a mirror, literature as a lamp, and literature as a medium. The findings show that the pandemic has become the subject of Indonesian literary works, both in classical and contemporary times.