The Aesthetics of Figurative Language in Contemporary Indonesian Poetry

Abstract

Contemporary Indonesian poetry employs figurative language not only as stylistic ornamentation but also as a means of constructing aesthetic experience and interpretative meaning. This study examines how figurative language functions aesthetically and contributes to meaning-making and emotional engagement in contemporary Indonesian poetry. A qualitative stylistic analysis was conducted on 35 contemporary Indonesian poems published between 2018 and 2024. The poems were purposively selected from published anthologies and online literary platforms according to their relevance to contemporary Indonesian poetry and the richness of their figurative language. Data were analyzed through close reading, coding, categorization, and qualitative interpretation, drawing on stylistics, conceptual metaphor theory, and cognitive poetics. The analysis identified metaphor as the most prominent figurative strategy, followed by sensory imagery, personification, and symbolism. Across the corpus, these forms contribute to the construction of identity, collective memory, urban experience, ecological awareness, and existential reflection. The findings show that figurative language operates as an integrated aesthetic system: metaphor structures abstract experience, sensory imagery creates embodied engagement, personification animates human–environment relations, and symbolism condenses sociocultural meanings. The study contributes to literary stylistics by demonstrating how figurative devices work collectively to produce aesthetic and interpretative effects in contemporary Indonesian poetry.