Unlocking the Soul of Java: The Role of Ethnopoetics in Shaping Cultural and Evolutionary Narratives in East Javanese Literature

Literary works from Indonesia have been produced by authors from East Java. Despite its existence, this literary work remains largely unknown to readers both nationally and internationally. This research seeks to uncover literary contributions from East Javanese authors, with a particular focus on identifying their ethnopoetic expressions. This research adopted a qualitative textual analysis approach, utilizing a sociological perspective in literature review. The analysis and interpretation of literary textual data involved deep reading, note-taking, and interpretive methods. This research revealed that the ethnopoetics of Indonesian literature, particularly from East Javanese authors, is distinguished by themes and aesthetics unique to East Java. The themes, closely related to East Java’s local wisdom, were diverse. The aesthetics of the literary works were shaped through the employment of diction, notably involving ethnological culture, place names, and towns, as well as through the use of metaphors, analogies, and figurative language. Language and storytelling, pivotal in cultural expression, social cohesion, and knowledge transmission, offer insights into the interplay between cultural practices and human psychological and social evolution. They illuminate thought patterns, linguistic structures, and cultural values shaped by the unique geographical, historical, and social contexts of East Java. This exploration contributes to understanding the diverse pathways of human cultural evolution, highlighting how regional specificities can influence and reflect broader cultural and evolutionary trends.